Encouraging Allergic Young Adults to Carry Epinephrine

June 13, 2018 updated by: Carolyn Cannuscio, University of Pennsylvania

Using Text Messaging and Financial Incentives to Encourage Allergic Young Adults to Carry Epinephrine

Fifteen million Americans suffer from food allergies. Food allergies can be life threatening; the only known life-saving treatment is epinephrine. Adolescents/young adults are at increased risk of adverse events, because of increased risk-taking with food and decreased likelihood of carrying epinephrine. This is a pilot randomized trial to test text message reminders, with and without financial incentives, to encourage allergic young adults to carry epinephrine.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Aim: We pilot tested a novel strategy to encourage young adults with food allergies to carry their epinephrine auto-injectors. Adolescents/young adults are at increased risk of adverse events, because of increased risk-taking with food and decreased likelihood of carrying epinephrine.

Study design: This is a pilot randomized controlled trial, with a survey component. Text messaging is the mode of communication and inquiry with study participants.

Hypothesis: The intervention group, which will receive modest financial incentives for carrying epinephrine, will be more likely to demonstrate that they are carrying their epinephrine, when queried by the study team.

This study employs text messaging, along with photography, as a mode of momentary ecologic assessment, or real-time measurement of epinephrine carrying. In addition, text messaging was used as a mode of asking questions regarding food allergy knowledge and beliefs among young adults. Text messages were sent from a designated telephone (and telephone number) purchased for use in this study. We used text messaging for reminder messages, text responses, and for the participants to send photographs back to us. We converted text message data (participants responses) into a RedCap database. Our research coordinator sent and received the text messages and compiled a secure RedCap database of responses.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

33

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 30 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Have known food allergy
  • Epinephrine auto-injector prescription
  • Access to a cell phone with ability to send picture messages

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention
Participants received text messages and financial incentives after successfully documenting that they were carrying their epinephrine auto-injectors, based on principles of behavioral economics.
Other: Behavioral Economics
Use financial incentives to promote epinephrine-carrying.
No Intervention: Control
Participants received text messages.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Proportion of check-ins at which participant is carrying epinephrine
Time Frame: 10 randomly timed check-ins during the 7 week intervention period
Proportion of check-ins at which participants were successfully carrying their epinephrine, measured using cell phone photographs.
10 randomly timed check-ins during the 7 week intervention period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-reported acceptability of text messages
Time Frame: Measured at the end of the 7 week intervention
Assess young adults' perspectives on text messaging as a vehicle for communicating health messages.
Measured at the end of the 7 week intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Carolyn C Cannuscio, ScD, University of Pennsylvania

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 23, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 29, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

February 3, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 15, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 13, 2018

Last Verified

June 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UPenn

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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