NCT07091591

"Why do the Recommendations Keep Changing?" A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Scrollytelling Web Application to Help Members of the Public Understand Better How and Why Public Health Guidelines Change Over Time

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 525 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Laval University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will be an online 3-arm randomized controlled trial. Here intervention group 1 will receive the intervention in the form of an animated cartoon "scrollytelling" outlining the various changes and reasons for changes in public health guidelines in the context of nutrition (e.g. recommendations on fat intake). Intervention group 2 will have a scrollytelling on the reasons why public health recommendations always change in the context of infectious disease control (e.g. during the COVID-19 pandemic). And finally, the control group will receive no intervention.

Detailed description

The project was initially conceived on Figma, a design platform, enabling our design team to create a user interface. Following this design phase, our experienced developers took over, using the Vue.js framework. Development involved fundamental web languages: JavaScript, CSS and HTML. JavaScript made the interface dynamic for smooth user interaction, CSS applied the detailed visual design conceived on Figma, and HTML structured the application's content. This combination resulted in an application, showcasing Vue.js's effectiveness in application development. Our intervention was the "Changing" application, which was a scrollytelling that, in its two versions (food and pandemic), explained why and how public health guidelines are being changed. The main purpose of the "Changing" application is to explain the reasons for ongoing changes in public health guidelines, using COVID-19 and nutrition as examples.

Conditions

• Social Perception
• Psychology

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Changing (version: pandemic)	The application explains that, faced with a complex situation such as a pandemic, decision-makers have to navigate through uncertainty, often without knowing exactly how the situation will evolve. Scientific research guides their choices, but early studies can sometimes prove inaccurate and require adjustments. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some initial studies showed that certain drugs could help, but more rigorous research showed that they were not effective. Over time, accumulated knowledge enables us to better understand the situation and make informed decisions. Lessons learned from past crises help to better prepare for future complex situations.
BEHAVIORAL	Changing (version: nutrition)	The intervention discusses the evolving nature of scientific research on diet and health. It explains how initial studies can suggest one thing, only for later studies to offer new insights or clarify previous findings. For example, while early research linked high fat intake with heart disease, more recent studies have shown that some fats, like those in nuts, avocados, and oily fish, are actually beneficial. It emphasizes that science often advances gradually, and rigorous, long-term studies help understanding. It also points out that health recommendations are influenced by multiple factors, and over time, accumulated knowledge enables us to better understand the situation and make informed decisions.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-07-24
• Primary completion: 2025-08-14
• Completion: 2025-09-30
• First posted: 2025-07-29
• Last updated: 2025-09-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada