Advancing cancer prevention: Optimizing messages

This is a multi-site study funded by Cancer Research UK through a Cancer Research UK/National Cancer Institute Knowledge Integration Sandpit. Half of the qualitative interviews will be conducted by ECU. The main quantitative survey will be conducted by ECU. Qualitative analysis will be conducted by University of Glasgow. The qualitative study will inform the design of the quantitative study. Quantitative analysis will be conducted by Florida International University. University College London will conduct a small pilot experiment also using Qualtrics Panels. BACKGROUND Tobacco, alcohol, and sugar consumption contribute to cancer burden. An evidence-based population-level intervention to reduce intake of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-added products is the implementation of policies that increase their price. This can be done through excise taxes, mitigation fees, bans on discounts, and minimum prices. Yet, the adoption of these evidence-based policies has received only limited traction, and public support is undermined by industry-led efforts to oppose policy interventions. This proposal is guided by a working hypothesis that public acceptance of different tax and non-tax pricing interventions for cancer risk behaviors varies by: (a) policy type, (b) the way the message is framed, and (c) the cancer-causing product it addresses. AIMS We examine this working hypothesis through specific aims to: (1) identify and optimize ways to communicate price policy options for cancer-causing products to the public and (2) explore the effects of policy type, frames, and behavioural domain on public policy support. PARTICIPANTS Participants in the interview stage (qualitative) will be: 6 members of the public, 6 cancer survivors, and 6 cancer policy advocates – half of each stakeholder group will be in each country. Participants in the quantitative study will be solicited by Qualtrics's Survey Panels service (n=1800). METHODS This project will use a mixed-methods approach to understand the framing of tax and non- tax pricing policy interventions to reduce consumption of cancer-causing products. We will conduct formative qualitative research with stakeholders, identify frames to test, and pilot the frames in a quantitative study. We will then implement a 3x3x4 factorial experiment to assess the impact of the frames, cancer-causing products discussed, and pricing policy options on support for policies among UK and US adults.