Young Adult-Mediated Intervention to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening

April 14, 2026 updated by: Virginia Commonwealth University

Developing a Young Adult-Mediated Intervention to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Rural Screening Age-Eligible Adults

This study will garner preliminary data to develop a young adult-mediated intervention whereby a younger family member encourages their older family member to get colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. In Aim 1, survey data from n=150 younger (25-44 years old) and n=150 older (45-75 years old) adults living in rural communities will be collected. In Aim 2, intervention components will be evaluated using n=9 focus groups. The novel intervention will be assessed via a pilot trial (n=15 adult child/parent dyads) in Aim 3.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Aim 1. Environmental Scan of Health Communications Landscape. Using quantitative methods, examine the health communications landscape of younger (25-44 years old) and older (45-75 years old) adults living in rural communities. N=300 survey responses (n=150 from each age group) will be analyzed to determine the primary channels and sources of health-related information, quantify the extent to which these residents engage in family communications about cancer screening, and identify potential strategies for upward communications. Individual factors (i.e., CRC screening knowledge, health literacy, and numeracy) and specific facilitators of and barriers to upward communication about CRC screening will be also assessed.

Aim 2. Message Development and Refinement. Using qualitative methods, develop and evaluate intervention components to facilitate effective upward communications about CRC prevention and screening. To accomplish this aim, we will: 1) use findings from Aim 1 to design intervention content and materials that leverage relevant communication channels and strategies, and address barriers to upward communication and 2) conduct n=9 focus groups with adult children 25-44 years of age (n=3), CRC screening age-eligible adults, 45-75 years old (n=3), and adult child/parent dyads (n=3), to assess message acceptability and refine key content areas. We will iterate and modify intervention components based on feedback.

Aim 3. Preliminary Testing. Using a single arm, open-label, pre-test post-test design (n=15 adult child/parent dyads), assess the impact of a young adult-mediated intervention to increase CRC screening among a paired age-eligible family member (e.g., parent/grandparent). The focus of the intervention will be on changes in CRC screening awareness and intentions among the age-eligible adult, but we hypothesize that the young adult could benefit as well. Thus, in addition to assessing feasibility and acceptability, we will assess changes in 1) CRC screening intentions among the age-eligible adults and 2) CRC health literacy and awareness of screening guidelines among the younger adult participant.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Richmond, Virginia, United States, 23289
        • Virginia Commonwealth University
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Carrie Miller, Ph.D

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Residents of counties in the Virginia/North Carolina CRC hotspot
  • 25-75 years old
  • Able to speak, write, and comprehend English
  • Younger adult participants in Aims 3 must have an older, screening age-eligible relative with whom they speak with regularly (i.e., ≥ once every two weeks)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants in Aims 1 or 2 will be ineligible for Aim 3

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: Screening
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Aim 3: Single arm, open-label, pre-test/post-test design pilot trial
Single arm, open-label, pre-test/post-test design pilot trial
Behavioral: Changes in CRC screening awareness and intentions
Using a single arm, open-label, pre-test post-test design (n=15 adult child/parent dyads), assess the impact of a young adult-mediated intervention to increase CRC screening among a paired age-eligible family member (e.g., parent/grandparent). The focus of the intervention will be on changes in CRC screening awareness and intentions among the age-eligible adult, but we hypothesize that the young adult could benefit as well. Thus, in addition to assessing feasibility and acceptability, we will assess changes in 1) CRC screening intentions among the age-eligible adults and 2) CRC health literacy and awareness of screening guidelines among the younger adult participant.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
CRC screening knowledge and awareness
Time Frame: 2-months post-intervention
A composite index score on four awareness items and 14 knowledge items adopted from prior research
2-months post-intervention
CRC screeningintentions
Time Frame: 2-months post-intervention
A single item, based on previous CRC screening research
2-months post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Virginia Commonwealth University

Collaborators

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Carrie A Miller, PhD, MPH, Virginia Commonwealth University

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 (Estimated)

July 31, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 23, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 30, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

July 10, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 14, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB202300089
  • R03CA270837-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • HM20026698 (Other Identifier: Virginia Commonwealth University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

There are no plans to share individual patient data.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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