MedTrace Logo

Improving the Behavioural Impact of Air Quality Alerts

NCT03552198 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 225

Last updated 2021-10-22

Study results available
· View outcomes & findings →

Summary

The evidence shows that adherence to air quality advice to adopt protective behaviours during pollution episodes is suboptimal, and that the traditional strategy of simply informing people about high pollution episodes is not effective. The aim of the present study was to investigate how to improve the behavioural impact of existing air quality alert messages through a systematic manipulation of key communication variables, including perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, response efficacy, planning, message specificity, etc. Users of an existing air quality alert smartphone application in London, who agreed to take part in the study, were randomly allocated to a control group (i.e. receiving usual health advice associated with the official UK Air Quality Index) or an intervention group receiving health advice associated with air quality alerts in an alternative format (i.e. targeting key variables). Both intended and actual adherence behaviours were investigated. Qualitative data were also collected to understand the reasons for not adopting protective behaviours in response to receiving a real air pollution alert.

Implications of this study include the potential to increase protective behaviours in the general population during air pollution episodes through the development of more effective communication strategies provided via existent air quality alert systems.

Conditions

  • Pollution; Exposure
  • Health Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Alternative health advice

These messages targeted specific beliefs about air pollution and protective actions aimed at reducing exposure to air pollution. In addition, message specificity was targeted, which means that compared to the usual messages, the alternative messages reported more detailed health recommendations.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • Public Health England

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • King's College London

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Donatella D'Antoni · King's College London

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Model
FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2017-07-23
Primary Completion
2017-09-08
Completion
2017-09-08

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03552198 on ClinicalTrials.gov