Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Life skill training typically includes several elements from models of health behaviour change, such as motivation, self-efficacy, and planning processes. However, the effectiveness of these single components within comprehensive programs has not been addressed so far, but could give valuable insights for the development of future digital health behaviour change interventions. Just-in-time interventions provided via mobile devices (i.e., text messages) are intended to help people “in the moment”, and thus have a near-future impact. Implementation intentions (i.e., if-then-plans) are a promising intervention component within digital interventions to increase specific social competencies like assertiveness during conversations at the workplace. However, the effectiveness of this single element within a comprehensive life skills program has not been addressed so far, but could give valuable insights for the development of future interventions. Therefore, the aim of this study is to test the impact of such just-in-time delivered interventions on assertiveness during conversations at the workplace among apprentices.
Who can participate?
Adolescents aged 16 or over who are attending vocational training
What does the study involve?
On six working days, 1 hour before apprentices are on their way to work, participants are randomly allocated to either receive an intervention to receive no intervention. The intervention includes two text messages: one text message where they choose one of two predetermined if-then plans to enhance assertiveness during conversations at the workplace, and another text message prompt to visualize the chosen plan. Assertiveness is assessed 11 hours later in both groups. After a period of at least 2 weeks participants receive the opposite intervention and assertiveness is assessed again.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Assertiveness during conversations at the workplace may be higher after receiving the text message. No risks of participation are expected.
Where is the study run from?
1. Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (Switzerland)
2. University of Zurich, Applied Social and Health Psychology (Switzerland)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2017 to December 2018
Who is funding the study?
1. Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (Switzerland)
2. University of Zurich, Applied Social and Health Psychology (Switzerland)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Theda Radtke
theda.radtke@psychologie.uzh.ch
Trial website
Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Dr Theda Radtke
ORCID ID
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1228-1834
Contact details
Binzmühlestrasse 14/14
Zurich
8050
Switzerland
+41 (0)44 635 72 55
Theda.Radtke@uzh.ch
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
16.6.2
Study information
Scientific title
Efficacy of a just-in-time delivered planning intervention to enhance assertiveness during conversations at the workplace among apprentices: a micro-randomized controlled trial
Acronym
MRCT Assertiveness
Study hypothesis
1. On days adolescents receive the just-in-time delivered planning intervention, adolescents report higher levels of assertiveness during conservations at the workplace compared to days without the just-in-time delivered planning intervention.
2. Adolescents with higher intentions to enhance their level of assertiveness during conversations at the workplace will benefit from the just-in-time delivered planning intervention to a higher degree compared to adolescents with lower intentions.
Ethics approval
Ethics committee of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zurich, 26/09/2016, ref. 16.6.2
Study design
Micro-randomized controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised cross over trial
Trial setting
Other
Trial type
Prevention
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet
Condition
Assertiveness
Intervention
Participants receive the just-in-time delivered planning intervention to enhance assertiveness during conversations at the workplace when expressing one's own opinion in conversations with others on a working day. The intervention is delivered 1 hour before apprentices are on their way to work. In case of shift work the intervention is delivered at 6am. The study has an AB/BA crossover design, in which each participant receives the intervention and the control in a randomized order. The randomization sequence will be created using computerized random numbers. There is a period of at least 2 weeks between the intervention and control.
Intervention points in time include:
1. Assessment of state of receptivity via SMS text message question (“Are you working today?”) on one of their typically indicated working day, one hour before apprentices are on their way to work.
2. Confirmation of receptivity by a text message reply (“Yes”) from the participant.
3. The digital micro intervention where participants can choose one of two predetermined if-then plans to enhance assertiveness during conversations at the workplace via SMS text messaging and another text message prompt to visualize the chosen plan.
Control points in time only include 1 and 2.
Follow-up assessments will be conducted in both intervention and control points in time 11 hours after the assessment of state of receptivity and the random allocation to one of the two intervention conditions.
Intervention type
Behavioural
Phase
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Assertiveness during conversations at the workplace when expressing one's own opinion in conversations with others, assessed with one item measure 11 hours after the assessment of state of receptivity and the random allocation to one of the two intervention conditions.
Secondary outcome measures
No secondary outcome measures
Overall trial start date
01/05/2017
Overall trial end date
31/12/2018
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Ownership of a mobile phone
2. A level of assertiveness during conversations at the workplace when expressing one's own opinion in conversations with others that is below 5, measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high)
3. Aged 16 or over
Participant type
Healthy volunteer
Age group
Mixed
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
130 per condition (including a dropout rate of 30%)
Participant exclusion criteria
1. A level of assertiveness during conversations at the workplace when expressing one's own opinion in conversations with others that is 5, measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high)
2. Age < 16
3. No vocational training at intervention day
Recruitment start date
09/08/2017
Recruitment end date
31/12/2017
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Switzerland
Trial participating centre
Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction
Konradstrasse 32
Zurich
8031
Switzerland
Sponsor information
Organisation
Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction
Sponsor details
Konradstrasse 32
Zurich
8031
Switzerland
+41 (0)44 448 11 74
severin.haug@isgf.uzh.ch
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Organisation
University of Zurich
Sponsor details
Applied Social and Health Psychology
Binzmühlestrasse 14/14
Zurich
8050
Switzerland
+41 (0)44 635 72 55
Theda.Radtke@uzh.ch
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
University/education
Funder name
Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Funder name
Universität Zürich
Alternative name(s)
University of Zurich, UZH
Funding Body Type
government organisation
Funding Body Subtype
government non-federal
Location
Switzerland
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Planned publication in a psychological peer reviewed journal around one year after the overall trial end date. No other documents will be available.
IPD sharing statement
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Dr Severin Haug (severin.haug@isgf.uzh.ch). Individual participant data will be available (including data dictionaries). Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in our article, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices) will be shared. Data will be available beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication. Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal will be able to get access to the data. Data will be provided for analyses to achieve aims in the approved proposal and for individual participant data meta-analysis. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.
Intention to publish date
31/12/2019
Participant level data
Available on request
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list