Atlas:Text Messaging Program With Weather Alerts, Local Resources & Insights for Addressing Climate Change

Summary

Climate change is an urgent public health threat, and climate-related health risks disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. To date, digital climate change communications have been limited to one-directional, one size-fits all messaging based on a single theoretical approach (i.e., framing). This Phase I SBIR explored the acceptability and effects of an innovative solution: atlas - an interactive text messaging program that leverages insights from behavior change science and integrates data from the National Weather Service to engage a broad spectrum of users with varying levels of concern about climate change and tailor the user experience.

atlas 1) provided information on current climate-related and environmental risks (e.g., high temperatures, air quality alerts, asthma triggers etc.) that might adversely affect a user's current health conditions; 2) linked users to local zip-code matched resources to mitigate their specific risk (e.g., cooling centers, hurricane shelters); 3) implemented a full range of best practices in tailored health behavior change communications to personalize ongoing communications regarding the link between human actions and extreme weather based on the user's level of concern about and belief in climate change; and 4) provided customized actionable tips for addressing climate change to promote climate efficacy at the individual, community, and policy/advocacy level based on the user's level of motivation.

Developed in collaboration with community members, 2 community health experts, and 4 climate change experts, atlas achieved sustained engagement and impact by hyper-personalizing the user experience and seamlessly integrating actionable insights from multiple theories of behavior change and communication frameworks. Extensive end user and expert input ensured atlas was designed for rapid dissemination.

Residents of a city in a New England state (n=54) were recruited to participate in a 30-day pilot test. The primary outcome, response efficacy for taking steps to mitigate climate change, was assessed across individual, collective, and governmental levels from pretest (baseline) to posttest (30-day follow-up). The hypothesis was that the atlas users will have increased response efficacy.

Conditions

• Climate Change

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

atlas

A theoretically-grounded, highly individualized text messaging intervention that 1) provided information on current climate-related and environmental risks (e.g., high temperatures, air quality alerts, asthma triggers etc.) that might adversely affect a user's current health conditions; 2) linked users to local zip-code matched resources to mitigate their specific risk (e.g., cooling centers, hurricane shelters); 3) implemented a full range of best practices in tailored health behavior change communications to personalize ongoing communications regarding the link between human actions and extreme weather based on the user's level of concern about and belief in climate change; and 4) provided customized actionable tips for addressing climate change to promote climate efficacy at the individual, community, and policy/advocacy level based on the user's level of motivation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pro-Change Behavior Systems

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Sara Johnson, PhD · Pro-Change Behavior Systems

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-06-25

Primary Completion

2024-08-21

Completion

2024-08-21

Countries

• United States

Study Locations