The Effectiveness of Kidney Disease Education Methods: An online survey experiment

Last registered on December 29, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Effectiveness of Kidney Disease Education Methods: An online survey experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013721
Initial registration date
December 16, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
December 29, 2024, 11:29 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Yunyi An
Affiliation
Peking University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Juanjuan Meng
PI Affiliation
Peking University
PI Name
Luxia Zhang
PI Affiliation
Peking University
PI Name
Pengfei Li
PI Affiliation
Peking University
PI Name
Jinwei Wang
PI Affiliation
Peking University First Hospital
PI Name
Fang Wang
PI Affiliation
Peking University First Hospital
PI Name
Xingchen Yao
PI Affiliation
Peking University First Hospital

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-12-24
End date
2025-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in China has reached a concerning level of 10.8%, presenting a significant public health challenge. Beyond its progression to end-stage renal disease, CKD substantially elevates the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and malignant neoplasms, consequently imposing a considerable burden on healthcare resources. Empirical evidence suggests that early detection and intervention in CKD management can efficaciously mitigate disease progression. However, the awareness of CKD in China remains strikingly low at 10.0%, particularly low among individuals with early-stage CKD. This underscores the imperative need for comprehensive public health education initiatives and early screening programs focused on kidney disease.

Preliminary investigations have demonstrated that conventional methodologies, such as poster campaigns and continuing education programs for community healthcare providers, have yielded limited efficacy. The present study is situated within the context of CKD health education and screening for individuals, employing an innovative online survey experiment that incorporates diverse informational components. This research endeavors to elucidate the impact of various health education strategies on individuals' participation rates, specifically examining registrations and test kit acquisitions. The study utilizes a multifaceted approach, exploring the effects of different types of information dissemination, including health hazard awareness, time cost considerations, conformity information, and information avoidance behaviors. Furthermore, it investigates the differential effects of these health education strategies on high-risk CKD populations, with a particular focus on their engagement in CKD screening and long-term monitoring protocols.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
An, Yunyi et al. 2024. "The Effectiveness of Kidney Disease Education Methods: An online survey experiment." AEA RCT Registry. December 29. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13721-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The study will be implemented via an online platform, employing a survey experiment methodology. The information intervention protocol comprises five distinct groups, stratified as follows:
A control group, which will receive a neutral treatment consisting solely of a basic introduction to CKD, without additional interventional information.
A health hazard group, which will be exposed to emphatic representations of CKD-related dangers, utilizing striking visual imagery and vivid description.
A time cost group, which will be presented with information emphasizing the time investment required for seeking medical care.
A conformity group, which will be informed about the high participation rates of their peers, leveraging social proof as a motivational factor.
An information avoidance group, which will be educated on the potential perils associated with evading disease-related information.
Subsequent to the intervention, participants will be afforded the opportunity to opt for the mailing of a test kit to their residential address, with the expectation of completing the ensuing diagnostic procedure. This experimental design allows for a comprehensive assessment of the relative efficacy of each educational strategy in promoting proactive health behaviors related to CKD screening and monitoring.
Intervention Start Date
2024-12-24
Intervention End Date
2025-12-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Short term effect:
number of people opt for mailing the urinary protein test kit; number of individuals completing the questionnaire; number of individuals who undergo a urinary protein test
Long term effect:
repeated urinary protein test; changes in behavior and attitude towards CKD, the ratio of people monitoring
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This research endeavor aims to conduct a survey experiment to investigate the efficacy of diverse chronic kidney disease (CKD) health education strategies in enhancing individuals' awareness of the condition. Furthermore, it seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies in augmenting the probability of proactive screening and monitoring behaviors among the general population, with a particular emphasis on high-risk CKD cohorts, as measured by increased resident participation rates.
The study will be implemented via an online platform, employing a survey experiment methodology. The information intervention protocol comprises five distinct groups, a control group, a health hazard group, a time cost group, a conformity group, an information avoidance group.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
randomization done by the platform
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1000 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
1000 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
200 individuals in control, 200 individuals in health hazard group, 200 individuals in time cost group, 200 individuals in conformity group and 200 individuals in information avoidance group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Peking University Institutional Review Board (PU_IRB)
IRB Approval Date
2023-12-12
IRB Approval Number
IRB00001052-23184
Analysis Plan