Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2011 Dec;129(12):1592-8.
doi: 10.1001/archophthalmol.2011.190.

Tailored and targeted interventions to encourage dilated fundus examinations in older African Americans

Nancy J Ellish  1 , Renee Royak-Schaler, Eve J Higginbotham
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Tailored and targeted interventions to encourage dilated fundus examinations in older African Americans

Nancy J Ellish et al. Arch Ophthalmol. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the effects of a tailored (individualized) and targeted (designed for a subgroup) print intervention in promoting dilated fundus examinations (DFEs) in older African Americans and to determine whether other factors (eg, demographics, preventive health practices, health literacy score, behavioral intentions, and DFE rates) are associated with getting a DFE.

Methods: African Americans aged 65 years or older who had not had a DFE in at least 2 years were recruited from community settings. Participants were randomized to receive either a tailored or targeted newsletter. Telephone follow-up was conducted at 1, 3, and 6 months to ascertain eye examination status. All participant-reported DFEs were confirmed by contacting their eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) by telephone. Main Outcome Measure Eye doctor-confirmed DFE at 6 months.

Results: Of the 329 participants enrolled, 128 (38.9%) had an eye doctor-confirmed DFE. No significant difference was noted in this measure by intervention group (relative risk, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-1.40), with 66 participants in the tailored group (40.2%) and 62 participants in the targeted group (37.6%) having an eye doctor-confirmed DFE. Based on logistic regression analysis, reading the newsletter (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.87) and planning to make an appointment for a DFE (odds ratio, 2.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-4.26) were significant predictors for DFE.

Conclusions: The tailored and targeted interventions were equally effective in promoting eye doctor-confirmed DFEs at 6 months. Given the increased cost and effort associated with tailoring, our results suggest that well-designed targeted print messages can motivate older African Americans to get DFEs. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00649766.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Follow-up status of 329 study participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health. 2nd ed. U.S. Government Printing Office; 2000.
    1. National Health Education Program. National Eye Institute; 1991. Communication plan: a diabetic eye disease education program for people with diabetes. Report.
    1. National Health Education Program. National Eye Institute; 1994. Communication plan: a glaucoma public education program. Report.
    1. Ellish NJ, Royak-Schaler R, Passmore SR, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about dilated eye examinations among African-Americans. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007;48:1989–1994. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hawkins RP, Kreuter M, Resnicow K, et al. Understanding tailoring in communicating about health. Health Educ Res. 2008;23:454–466. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data