Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Public awareness of the link between cancer risk and getting older is low. In the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, less than 1 in every 7 people asked knew that cancer was most common in those over the age of 70 compared to those younger. This lack of awareness may be linked to poorer cancer survival in these countries due to delay in presentation to a doctor and delay in diagnosis. This study aims to address low awareness of cancer by developing and testing picture-based information resources called 'infographics' that are easier to understand by the public to help make information about cancer more accessible and allow people to make more informed decisions about cancer.
Who can participate?
Adult males aged 50 years or older
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated into one of three groups.
All participants attend a single supervised appointment that lasts approximately one hour. They complete a short paper-based questionnaire to test awareness of cancer risk. Those in the first group receive an A4 page containing information about cancer risk in different age groups in purely text format (words and numbers only).
Participants in the second group receive this information in purely picture format (an icon array infographic with no text explanation).
Those in the third group receive this information in a mix of text and picture format (a combination of the information found within the other two groups).
All participants have two minutes to view their information then are followed up immediately with the same question from the first questionnaire designed to test awareness of cancer risk in different age groups.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Benefits of taking part in this study include getting the chance to learn something new about cancer risk and helping in the design of a new evidence-based cancer information resource. Whilst there are no immediate risks to participants taking part in this research study, any participant who is affected by issues brought up by the subject matter is encouraged to speak to researchers at the end of each visit and a General Practitioner is a named contact on participant information leaflets given out prior to each visit.
Where is the study run from?
1. Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim (UK)
2. Men’s Shed fermanagh (UK)
3. Men’s Shed Downpatrick (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2017 to November 2017
Who is funding the study?
Queen’s University Belfast (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Alan McCrorie (Scientific)
Trial website
Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Dr Alan David McCrorie
ORCID ID
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7422-2154
Contact details
School of Medicine
Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences
Queen’s University Belfast
Whitla Medical Building
97 Lisburn Road
Belfast
BT9 7BL
United Kingdom
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
17.27V3
Study information
Scientific title
Trial of Infographics in Northern Ireland
Acronym
TINI
Study hypothesis
Pictures (infographics) are superior to text based information for the communication of cancer statistics information
Ethics approval
Queen's University Belfast Medical School Ethics committee, 19/07/2017, ref: 17.27V3
Study design
Single blinded three-armed randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Community
Trial type
Other
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Condition
Healthcare knowledge (specifically, knowledge of association between cancer and old age)
Intervention
Participants are randomly allocated to a control group, or one of two intervention groups using block randomisation software.
All participants attend a single supervised appointment that lasts approximately one hour. They receive an A4 size printed black and white paper containing information about cancer risk in different age groups, given to them after answering a short paper-based questionnaire with a validated question embedded within designed to test awareness of cancer risk in different age groups.
Those in the control intervention receive this information in purely text format (words and numbers only).
Intervention group A receive this information in purely picture format (an icon array infographic with no text explanation).
Intervention group B receive this information in a hybrid text and picture format (a combination of the information found within control and intervention A groups).
All participants have two minutes to view their randomly assigned information. Participants are followed up immediately after viewing information with the same question from the questionnaire phase designed to test awareness of cancer risk in different age groups.
Intervention type
Behavioural
Phase
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Knowledge of association between cancer risk and old age is measured using a question ('over the next year, which of these groups of people, if any, do you think is most likely to be diagnosed with cancer? 30 year olds? 50 year olds? 70 year olds? people of any age are equally likely to be diagnosed with cancer?') from the internationally validated awareness and beliefs about cancer (ABC) questionnaire at baseline and immediately after viewing the information.
Secondary outcome measures
Metrics such as education, numerical literacy, age, and personal experience of cancer are measured using a 16 item questionnaire containing non-calculator numeracy questions from the internationally validated statistical numeracy for health questionnaire and questions from the internationally validated awareness and beliefs about cancer (ABC) questionnaire at baseline.
Overall trial start date
01/04/2017
Overall trial end date
30/11/2017
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Males
2. Aged 50 years or above
3. Live in Northern Ireland
4. Consent to participate
5. Speak/read English
Participant type
Other
Age group
Adult
Gender
Male
Target number of participants
30-60 participants
Participant exclusion criteria
1. Females
2. Males under the age of 50
3. People who do not speak or read English
Recruitment start date
19/07/2017
Recruitment end date
31/07/2017
Locations
Countries of recruitment
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Men's Shed Steeple Antrim
4a Steeple Road
Antrim
BT41 1AF
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Men's Shed Fermanagh
Drumcoo
Enniskillen
BT74 4FY
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Men's Shed Downpatrick
3 Ballydugan Industrial Estate
Downpatrick
BT74 4FY
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Strabane and Lifford Men's Shed
29 Patrick Street
Strabane
BT82 8DQ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Sponsor details
School of Medicine
Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences
Queen’s University Belfast
Whitla Medical Building
97 Lisburn Road
Belfast
BT9 7BL
United Kingdom
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
University/education
Funder name
Queen's University Belfast
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
private sector organisation
Funding Body Subtype
academic
Location
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
IPD sharing statement:
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study and other documentation associated with this trial are/will be available upon request from Dr Alan McCrorie.
Intention to publish date
01/04/2018
Participant level data
Available on request
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list
2018 results in: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29938211