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Cognitive and Emotional Inoculation Against Nutrition-Related Misinformation in Young Adults

4 settembre 2026 aggiornato da: Beijing Normal University

Cognitive and Emotional Inoculation Against Nutrition-Related Misinformation in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to examine the effects of cognitive and emotional inoculation interventions on young adults' ability to identify and respond to nutrition-related misinformation on social media. The study will compare two game-based inoculation approaches-a cognitive inoculation intervention and an emotional inoculation intervention-with a control condition. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 2 weeks later.

Panoramica dello studio

Stato

Non ancora reclutamento

Condizioni

Intervento / Trattamento

Descrizione dettagliata

Nutrition-related misinformation is increasingly disseminated through social media and may influence how young adults perceive and make decisions about food, diet, and health. Such misinformation may rely not only on inaccurate or unsupported claims but also on persuasive communication techniques, including appeals to authority, unrealistic promises, fear appeals, conspiracy narratives, and absolute or dichotomous framing. These techniques may influence judgments by eliciting trust, desire, anxiety, anger, or decision-related pressure.

This three-arm randomized controlled trial will compare two game-based inoculation interventions-a cognitive inoculation intervention and an emotional inoculation intervention-with a control condition. Participants will encounter common persuasive techniques used in nutrition-related misinformation and receive condition-specific feedback. The cognitive intervention is designed to promote recognition of misleading techniques and verification of supporting evidence. The emotional intervention is designed to promote recognition of emotional cues associated with manipulative messages and reflection on how such cues may influence judgment. The study will assess participants' responses to nutrition-related social media posts at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 2 weeks later to examine both immediate and sustained effects.

Tipo di studio

Interventistico

Iscrizione (Stimato)

330

Fase

  • Non applicabile

Contatti e Sedi

Questa sezione fornisce i recapiti di coloro che conducono lo studio e informazioni su dove viene condotto lo studio.

Contatto studio

Luoghi di studio

    • Guangdong
      • Zhuhai, Guangdong, Cina, 519087
        • Beijing Normal University

Criteri di partecipazione

I ricercatori cercano persone che corrispondano a una certa descrizione, chiamata criteri di ammissibilità. Alcuni esempi di questi criteri sono le condizioni generali di salute di una persona o trattamenti precedenti.

Criteri di ammissibilità

Età idonea allo studio

  • Adulto

Accetta volontari sani

No

Descrizione

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Aged 18 to 30 years.
  2. Able to read and understand Chinese.
  3. Able to access and independently complete the online intervention game and study questionnaires.
  4. Has access to WeChat for study communication and follow-up reminders.
  5. Provides electronic informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Younger than 18 years or older than 30 years.
  2. Unable to read Chinese or independently complete the online study procedures.
  3. Does not provide electronic informed consent.

Piano di studio

Questa sezione fornisce i dettagli del piano di studio, compreso il modo in cui lo studio è progettato e ciò che lo studio sta misurando.

Come è strutturato lo studio?

Dettagli di progettazione

  • Scopo principale: Prevenzione
  • Assegnazione: Randomizzato
  • Modello interventistico: Assegnazione parallela
  • Mascheramento: Separare

Armi e interventi

Gruppo di partecipanti / Arm
Intervento / Trattamento
Sperimentale: Cognitive Inoculation
Cognitive Game-Based Inoculation
Participants will complete a five-level interactive game designed to build resistance to nutrition-related misinformation on social media. In each level, participants act as a health-content creator and choose between an original social media post and alternative titles that may use misleading persuasive techniques. The game addresses five techniques: fake authority, impossible expectations, fear appeals, conspiracy framing, and false dichotomies. After each decision, participants receive cognitive feedback explaining how the misleading technique operates, the linguistic cues that may indicate its use, and how to evaluate whether the claim is supported by verifiable evidence.
Sperimentale: Affective Inoculation
Emotional Game-Based Inoculation
Participants will complete a five-level interactive game designed to build resistance to nutrition-related misinformation on social media. The game uses the same scenarios and addresses the same five misleading techniques as the cognitive inoculation intervention: fake authority, impossible expectations, fear appeals, conspiracy framing, and false dichotomies. After each decision, participants receive emotional feedback designed to help them recognize and reflect on the emotional cues triggered by manipulative messages, including unwarranted reassurance, desire, anxiety, anger, and pressure to make extreme choices. The feedback explains how these emotional responses may influence judgment of nutrition-related information.
Comparatore attivo: General Nutrition Education
General Nutrition Health Education
Participants will read eight brief sections of general nutrition health education adapted from the Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2022). This condition provides credible healthy-diet information without instruction about nutrition-related misinformation, persuasive techniques, evidence verification, fact-checking, or emotional manipulation cues. The sections cover dietary variety; energy balance and physical activity; fruit and vegetable intake; animal-source foods; limiting salt, oil, sugar, and alcohol; regular meals and adequate hydration; food selection, label reading, and food hygiene; and sustainable dietary practices.

Cosa sta misurando lo studio?

Misure di risultato primarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Manipulation-Technique Recognition Accuracy
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in the accuracy of recognizing manipulation techniques in nutrition-related social-media information will be assessed using simulated posts containing both misleading and accurate content. Participants will identify the persuasion or manipulation technique used in each post, or indicate that no misleading technique is present. Higher scores indicate better recognition accuracy.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Perceived Credibility of Nutrition-Related Misinformation
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in perceived credibility of nutrition-related misinformation will be assessed using simulated social-media posts about diet and health. Participants will rate the perceived credibility of each post using a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all credible) to 7 (extremely credible). Higher scores indicate greater perceived credibility of nutrition-related misinformation, representing a worse outcome. Lower scores indicate lower perceived credibility of nutrition-related misinformation.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).

Misure di risultato secondarie

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Intention to Share Nutrition-Related Misinformation
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in willingness to share nutrition-related misinformation will be assessed using simulated social-media posts about diet and health. Participants will rate their willingness to share the information with others on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very unlikely) to 7 (very likely). Higher scores indicate greater intention to share nutrition-related misinformation and represent a worse outcome.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Intention to Fact-Check Nutrition-Related Information
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in intention to verify nutrition-related information will be assessed using simulated social-media posts about diet and health. Participants will rate the extent to which they would check whether the information is accurate or supported by reliable evidence on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very unlikely) to 7 (very likely). Higher scores indicate greater intention to fact-check nutrition-related information and represent a better outcome.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Perceived Manipulativeness
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in perceived manipulativeness will be assessed by participants' ratings of the extent to which nutrition-related social-media posts are perceived as deliberately attempting to influence or guide their judgment. Ratings will be made on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all manipulative) to 7 (extremely manipulative). Higher scores indicate greater perceived manipulativeness.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Perceived Emotional Manipulation
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in perceived emotional manipulation will be assessed in response to nutrition-related social-media posts. Participants will rate the extent to which the posts rely on emotional appeals rather than factual information.Ratings will be made on 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely). Higher scores indicate greater perceived emotional manipulation.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Perceived Threat
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in perceived threat will be assessed in response to nutrition-related social-media posts. Participants will rate the extent to which the posts evoke concerns about personal health.Ratings will be made on 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely).Higher scores indicate greater perceived threat.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Counterarguing in Response to Nutrition-Related Misinformation
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in counterarguing will be assessed by participants' self-reported tendency to generate thoughts that question, challenge, or critically evaluate the claims made in nutrition-related social-media posts. Responses will be rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Higher scores indicate greater counterarguing and represent a better outcome.
Baseline (T0), immediate post-intervention (T1), and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Misinformation-Detection Self-Efficacy
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0) and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in confidence in detecting false, exaggerated, or insufficiently supported nutrition-related information and in verifying its source will be assessed using self-report items rated on 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all confident) to 7 (extremely confident). Higher scores indicate greater misinformation-detection self-efficacy.
Baseline (T0) and 2-week follow-up (T2).

Altre misure di risultato

Misura del risultato
Misura Descrizione
Lasso di tempo
Critical and Electronic Health Literacy
Lasso di tempo: Baseline (T0) and 2-week follow-up (T2).
Change from baseline in critical and electronic health literacy will be assessed using self-report items addressing participants' ability to find, evaluate, and apply online diet- and health-related information, including the ability to identify omissions, exaggeration, or weak evidence. Responses will be rated on 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Higher scores indicate higher critical and electronic health literacy.
Baseline (T0) and 2-week follow-up (T2).

Collaboratori e investigatori

Qui è dove troverai le persone e le organizzazioni coinvolte in questo studio.

Sponsor

Investigatori

  • Investigatore principale: Xue Weng, Beijing Normal University

Studiare le date dei record

Queste date tengono traccia dell'avanzamento della registrazione dello studio e dell'invio dei risultati di sintesi a ClinicalTrials.gov. I record degli studi e i risultati riportati vengono esaminati dalla National Library of Medicine (NLM) per assicurarsi che soddisfino specifici standard di controllo della qualità prima di essere pubblicati sul sito Web pubblico.

Studia le date principali

Inizio studio (Stimato)

1 settembre 2026

Completamento primario (Stimato)

30 dicembre 2026

Completamento dello studio (Stimato)

30 giugno 2027

Date di iscrizione allo studio

Primo inviato

31 agosto 2026

Primo inviato che soddisfa i criteri di controllo qualità

31 agosto 2026

Primo Inserito (Effettivo)

3 settembre 2026

Aggiornamenti dei record di studio

Ultimo aggiornamento pubblicato (Effettivo)

9 settembre 2026

Ultimo aggiornamento inviato che soddisfa i criteri QC

4 settembre 2026

Ultimo verificato

1 settembre 2026

Maggiori informazioni

Termini relativi a questo studio

Termini MeSH pertinenti aggiuntivi

Altri numeri di identificazione dello studio

  • Nutrition Misinformation Trial

Piano per i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)

Hai intenzione di condividere i dati dei singoli partecipanti (IPD)?

NO

Informazioni su farmaci e dispositivi, documenti di studio

Studia un prodotto farmaceutico regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Studia un dispositivo regolamentato dalla FDA degli Stati Uniti

No

Queste informazioni sono state recuperate direttamente dal sito web clinicaltrials.gov senza alcuna modifica. In caso di richieste di modifica, rimozione o aggiornamento dei dettagli dello studio, contattare register@clinicaltrials.gov. Non appena verrà implementata una modifica su clinicaltrials.gov, questa verrà aggiornata automaticamente anche sul nostro sito web .