Pragmatic Mobile Health Trial to Promote Cancer Screening and Healthy Behaviors

Официальное название

Pragmatic Randomized Trial Using Mobile Health (mHealth) Technology to Change Cancer Screening Behavior and Promote Healthier Lifestyle

Обзор

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore, but many people who are eligible for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening do not get screened on time. Many adults also have chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity, which can often be reduced through healthier lifestyle habits. Although reminders for screening are available, they may not be enough to encourage long-term healthy behaviours. This study will evaluate whether regular health messages delivered through a mobile health (mHealth) platform can help improve cancer screening participation and promote healthier lifestyles among Singaporean women aged 50-69 years. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The control group will receive standard cancer screening reminders every six months. The intervention group will receive monthly evidence-based health messages, including information on cancer screening, healthy eating, physical activity, and other healthy lifestyle behaviours, delivered through the NUHS App (or a similar mobile platform) or SMS. The study will compare whether more frequent and engaging health messages lead to higher participation in recommended cancer screening, greater engagement with the digital platform, and healthier lifestyle behaviours compared with standard reminders. The findings may help identify an effective and scalable digital approach to support cancer prevention and healthy ageing across Singapore.

Подробное описание

Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Singapore despite the availability of national screening programmes for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. Participation in recommended cancer screening remains below desired levels, while chronic diseases associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviours continue to increase. Existing approaches to promoting preventive health often rely on infrequent reminders and may be insufficient to support sustained behavioural change.

Singapore's widespread use of smartphones and digital health platforms provides an opportunity to deliver scalable mobile health (mHealth) interventions. This pragmatic randomized trial will evaluate whether regular delivery of evidence-based health messages through the NUHS App (or a similar mobile platform) or SMS can improve participation in recommended cancer screening and promote healthier lifestyle behaviours among Singaporean women aged 50-69 years.

Participants will receive either standard screening reminders or a more intensive programme of health messages covering cancer screening, healthy diet, physical activity, weight management, and other preventive health topics. The study will evaluate whether a sustained digital engagement strategy is more effective than standard reminders in encouraging long-term health behaviour change.

Because the intervention is delivered using existing healthcare digital infrastructure, the findings will inform whether this approach can be implemented at scale to improve cancer prevention and support healthy ageing in Singapore.

Вмешательства

• Поведенческое Intensive Engagement
  Participants will receive the standard bi-annual health messages as in Arm 1, supplemented with additional monthly messages through PN via the app OR via SMS, that provide comprehensive information on general population cancer screening guidelines, healthy lifestyle practices, motivational health messages, video links, and details about relevant events over a period of 12 months. In addition to the monthly messages, participants will be invited to attend up to 12 webinars (on women's health/scre
• Поведенческое Standard Engagement
  Participants receive two standard health messages through PN via the NUHS app or similar platforms OR via SMS - one at recruitment and a subsequent reminder message after 6 months. The content will include general population cancer screening guidelines (breast, colorectal, and cervical cancers) and information pertaining to healthy lifestyle practices (including maintaining a healthy BMI, balanced diet, and sufficient exercise).

Первичные конечные точки

• Comparison of Screen-Adherent Participants Between Arm 1 and Arm 2 [Срок оценки: 24 months post-intervention]

Вторичные конечные точки (4)

• Proportion of participants with BMI in the healthy range [Срок оценки: 24 months post-intervention]
• Proportion of participants achieving a daily goal of 10,000 steps [Срок оценки: 24 months post-intervention]
• Proportion of participants with recommended moderate-intensity aerobic activity [Срок оценки: 24 months post-intervention]
• Proportion of participants eating recommended servings of fruits/vegetables daily at 24 months [Срок оценки: 24 months post-intervention]

Критерии участия

Критерии включения

• If using app for message delivery: Registered NUHS App users or HealthHub App users OR if using SMS for message delivery: Participants must have a mobile number recorded in electronic medical records (EPIC).
• Female
• Singapore citizen
• Aged 50-69 years
• With or without prior diagnosis of cancer

Критерии исключения

• Participants unable to provide informed consent and take surveys, such as those with cognitive impairments or severe mental health conditions.
• Participants with terminal illness or serious comorbidities that preclude them from participating in preventive health programs.
• Pregnant women: Given the target age group (50-69 years), the prevalence of pregnancy is expected to be extremely low.

Критерии приведены из реестра в оригинале (на английском). Окончательную оценку соответствия проводит исследовательский центр.

Здоровые добровольцы: Да

Дизайн исследования

Распределение

Рандомизированное

Модель

Параллельные группы

Маскирование

Открытое

Основная цель

Скрининг

Центры проведения

Сингапур · 1 центр

• National University Hospital Singapore — Singapore

Идентификаторы

NCT: NCT07725328 · 2024-4448

Первоисточники (государственные реестры)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH, США)

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