Messages That Motivate: Communicating Alcohol-Related Breast Cancer Risk to Young Adult Women (MEMO)

This is an online cross-sectional experimental survey study examining two cancer communication questions: 1) What features of social media messages communicating the breast cancer risks from alcohol consumption will motivate young adult women to drink less? and 2) Do message features differ in their persuasive effects based on young adult women's alcohol consumption behavior?

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Communication; Alcohol; Cancer Prevention; Behavior, Risk; Message Perception
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Risk Message; Behavioral: Industry Deception; Behavioral: YAW Susceptibility; Behavioral: Mechanisms; Behavioral: Efficacy Message

Detailed Description

This is an online cross-sectional experimental study to examine the effects of features of social media messages in young adult women ages 18-25 who drink alcohol based on valid, self-report outcomes. Within the survey, participants will be randomized to view messages in one of nine conditions in a 3x3 factorial design with baseline alcohol consumption as a within-participants factor to test the effects of social media message features (content, persuasive themes) on participant responses. We will also compare the effects of message features for young women who drink within recommended limits (1 drink/day or less on average) and those who exceed recommended drinking limits.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 900
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center; Phone Number: 800-293-5066; Email: OSUCCCClinicaltrials@osumc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
      • Principal Investigator: Darren Mays, MPH, PhD
      • Contact: Darren Mays, MPH, PhD; Phone Number: 614-366-2953; Email: Darren.Mays@osumc.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Assigned female at birth
• Age 18-25
• Report drinking alcohol at least once in the past 30 days
• Registered in the United States as a member of the Prolific consumer research platform
• Willing and able to complete procedures in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Assigned male at birth
• Ages <18 or >25
• Do not report drinking alcohol at least once in the past 30 days
• Not registered in the U.S. as a member of the Prolific consumer research platform
• Not willing or not able to complete procedures

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

9

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1: Risk Only + Industry Deception	Behavioral: Risk Message; Risk message content; Behavioral: Industry Deception; Messages with information about alcohol industry deception
Experimental: Arm 2: Risk Only + YAW Susceptibility	Behavioral: Risk Message; Risk message content; Behavioral: YAW Susceptibility; Message content with information about why young adult women are susceptible to breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption
Experimental: Arm 3: Risk Only + Mechanisms	Behavioral: Risk Message; Risk message content; Behavioral: Mechanisms; Message content with information about the mechanism by which alcohol contributes to increased breast cancer risk
Experimental: Arm 4: Efficacy Only + Industry Deception	Behavioral: Industry Deception; Messages with information about alcohol industry deception; Behavioral: Efficacy Message; Efficacy Message Content
Experimental: Arm 5: Efficacy Only + YAW Susceptibility	Behavioral: YAW Susceptibility; Message content with information about why young adult women are susceptible to breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption; Behavioral: Efficacy Message; Efficacy Message Content
Experimental: Arm 6: Efficacy Only + Mechanisms	Behavioral: Mechanisms; Message content with information about the mechanism by which alcohol contributes to increased breast cancer risk; Behavioral: Efficacy Message; Efficacy Message Content
Experimental: Arm 7: Risk and Efficacy + Industry Deception	Behavioral: Risk Message; Risk message content; Behavioral: Industry Deception; Messages with information about alcohol industry deception; Behavioral: Efficacy Message; Efficacy Message Content
Experimental: Arm 8: Risk and Efficacy + YAW Susceptibility	Behavioral: Risk Message; Risk message content; Behavioral: YAW Susceptibility; Message content with information about why young adult women are susceptible to breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption; Behavioral: Efficacy Message; Efficacy Message Content
Experimental: Arm 9: Risk and Efficacy + Mechanisms	Behavioral: Risk Message; Risk message content; Behavioral: Mechanisms; Message content with information about the mechanism by which alcohol contributes to increased breast cancer risk; Behavioral: Efficacy Message; Efficacy Message Content

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Message Perceptions	We will assess message perceptions using a valid, reliable measure with six questions about whether participants thought the messages were worth remembering, grabbed their attention, and were informative, powerful, convincing, and meaningful. Responses are on a five-point Likert scale from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree). For all message response outcomes, we will sum and average responses to the items to create message-level scores, then compute means across both messages within each condition for a grand mean. Higher values are considered a better outcome.	This assessment is administered immediately after participants view study messages on Day 1
Effect Perceptions	We will capture message effects perceptions using the abbreviated effects perceptions scale. Items include questions about how much the messages made them feel discouraged to drink alcohol, concerned about drinking alcohol, and made them feel that drinking alcohol is unpleasant on a scale from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree). For all message response outcomes, we will sum and average responses to the items to create message-level scores, then compute means across both messages within each condition for a grand mean. Higher values are considered a better outcome.	This assessment is administered immediately after participants view study messages on Day 1
Emotional Response	We will capture emotional responses to the messages using a valid, four item scale. Items are "This message made me angry; irritated; aggravated; and annoyed" with responses on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Not likely at all) to 5 (Extremely likely). For all message response outcomes, we will sum and average responses to the items to create message-level scores, then compute means across both messages within each condition for a grand mean. Higher values are considered a better outcome.	This assessment is administered immediately after participants view study messages on Day 1
Counter-arguing	We will capture counter-arguing, a measure of whether participants cognitively refute messages, with a valid, three item scale that captures whether participants criticize messages, think of points that go against messages, and are skeptical of the messages. Responses are on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not at all) to 7 (Very much). For all message response outcomes, we will sum and average responses to the items to create message-level scores, then compute means across both messages within each condition for a grand mean. Lower values are considered a better outcome.	This assessment is administered immediately after participants view study messages on Day 1
Behavioral Intentions	Intentions to reduce alcohol consumption in the future will also be assessed with a valid, multi-item scale capturing whether participants will avoid drinking alcohol completely, reduce the number of occasions when they drink alcohol, and reduce the amount of alcohol they consume on drinking occasions with a 1 (Definitely Will Not) to 4 (Definitely Will) response scale. For all message response outcomes, we will sum and average responses to the items to create message-level scores, then compute means across both messages within each condition for a grand mean. Higher values are considered a better outcome.	This assessment is administered immediately after participants view study messages on Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Darren Mays, MPH, PhD, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 28, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): September 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 3, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 2, 2026
• Last Verified: September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: alcohol; cancer prevention; cancer control
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Communication; Risk-Taking
• Other Study ID Numbers: OSU-26048; R01CA311193-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data from self-report measures will be deposited in the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). ICPSR will make the research data from this project available to the broader social science research community as public-use data files. These files, in which direct and indirect identifiers have been removed to minimize disclosure risk, may be accessed directly through the ICPSR website.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: The research data from this project will be supplied to ICPSR at the time of publication of the relevant results or at the end of the project period, whichever is sooner, so that any issues surrounding the usability of the data can be resolved. Delayed dissemination may be possible. The Delayed Dissemination Policy allows for data to be deposited but not disseminated for an agreed-upon period (typically one year).
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: After agreeing to Terms of Use, users with an ICPSR MyData account and an authorized IP address from a member institution may download the data, and non-members may purchase the files.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No