The impact of descriptive norms on motivation to participate in cancer screening – Evidence from online experiments

Wagner, Christian von; Hirst, Yasemin; Waller, Jo; Ghanouni, Alexander; McGregor, Lesley; Kerrison, Robert; Verstraete, Wouter; Vlaev, Ivo; Sieverding, Monika

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2019.04.001

Cited by 24 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Descriptive social norms messaging has been shown to influence behaviors in other settings such as charitable giving [22], voting [23], and water and energy consumption [24]. In health behavior applications, descriptive social norms have been used to encourage healthy lifestyle habits [25][26][27][28] and increased uptake of health services like health checks and screenings [21,29]. Financial incentives such as cash transfers and vouchers have also been shown to increase preventive health care use and even health outcomes in settings of low-and middle-income countries [30][31][32][33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invitations and incentives: a qualitative study of behavioral nudges for primary care screenings in Armenia

Gong

Chukwuma

Ghazaryan

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Non-communicable diseases account for a growing proportion of deaths in Armenia, which require early detection to achieve disease control and prevent complications. To increase rates of screening, demand-side interventions of personalized invitations, descriptive social norms, labeled cash transfers, and conditional cash transfers were tested in a field experiment. Our complementary qualitative study explores factors leading to the decision to attend screening and following through with that decision, and experiences with different intervention components. Methods Informed by the Health Belief Model as our conceptual framework, we collected eighty in-depth interviews with service users and twenty service providers and analyzed them using open coding and thematic analysis. Results An individual’s decision to screen depends on 1) the perceived need for screening based on how they value their own health and perceive hypertension and diabetes as a harmful but manageable condition, and 2) the perceived utility of a facility-based screening, and whether screening will provide useful information on disease status or care management and is socially acceptable. Following through with the decision to screen depends on their knowledge of and ability to attend screenings, as well as any external motivators such as an invitation or financial incentive. Conclusions Personalized invitations from physicians can prompt individuals to reconsider their need for screening and can, along with financial incentives, motivate individuals to follow through with the decision to screen. The effect of descriptive social norms in invitations should be further studied. Efforts to increase preventive screenings as an entry point into primary care in Armenia may benefit from implementation of tailored messages and financial incentives. Trial registration The protocol was approved on January 11, 2019 by the Institutional Review Board of the Center of Medical Genetics and Primary Health Care in Armenia (02570094). https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3776.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invitations and incentives: a qualitative study of behavioral nudges for primary care screenings in Armenia

Gong

Chukwuma

Ghazaryan

et al. 2020

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To our knowledge, no other study has examined the association between HL and social norms about CRC screening. A recent study, however, did show that increasing social norms about CRC screening uptake increases CRC screening intention [40]. Further research should examine how social norms may influence IDM in CRC screening among those with a low HL.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Role of Health Literacy in Explaining the Relation between Educational Level and Decision Making about Colorectal Cancer Screening

Woudstra

Smets

Verdam

et al. 2019

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Little is known about why educational inequalities exist in informed decision making in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Insight into the role and impact of health literacy is essential for intervention development. This study investigates associations between health literacy and informed decision making in CRC screening and explores to what extent health literacy mediates the association between education and informed decision making in CRC screening. In total, 696 individuals eligible for CRC screening (55–75 years of age) were recruited from online panels and filled in an online questionnaire at T0 (n = 696), T1 (n = 407) and T2 (n = 327). A hypothetical mediation model was tested using structural equation modelling. Outcomes included CRC knowledge, CRC screening knowledge, attitude, injunctive norm, descriptive norm, risk perception, self-efficacy, decisional conflict and decisional certainty. Health literacy domains included Comprehension, Application, Numeracy and Communication. Comprehension, Application and Numeracy, were found to mediate the association between education and knowledge about CRC and CRC screening, injunctive norm, descriptive norm, decisional conflict and decisional certainty. In light of these findings, targeting multiple health literacy domains in decision-support interventions is essential for facilitating informed decision making in CRC screening.

show abstract

“…Only a few studies have investigated the effect of adding additional information, mainly on social norms. ( Schwartz et al, 2017 , Stoffel et al, 2019 , Bakr et al, 2020 , Huf et al, 2020 , Sieverding et al, 2010 , Stoffel et al, 2019 , von Wagner et al, 2019 ) Furthermore, several of these studies measured the effect on intention rather actual behavior, limiting the generalizability of their findings ( Howard and Salkeld, 2009 , Ferrer et al, 2012 , Sieverding et al, 2010 , Stoffel et al, 2019 , von Wagner et al, 2019 ). Finally, little is therefore known about the effect of using other messages, derived from behavioral economics, communicating information about the costs and benefits of CRC screening on screening uptake.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing messages from behavioral economics to improve participation in a population-based colorectal cancer screening program in Cyprus: Results from two randomized controlled trials

Stoffel

Kioupi

Ioannou

et al. 2021

Preventive Medicine Reports

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The impact of descriptive norms on motivation to participate in cancer screening – Evidence from online experiments

Cited by 24 publications

References 32 publications

Invitations and incentives: a qualitative study of behavioral nudges for primary care screenings in Armenia

Invitations and incentives: a qualitative study of behavioral nudges for primary care screenings in Armenia

The Role of Health Literacy in Explaining the Relation between Educational Level and Decision Making about Colorectal Cancer Screening

Testing messages from behavioral economics to improve participation in a population-based colorectal cancer screening program in Cyprus: Results from two randomized controlled trials

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About