Brief video interventions increase screening intentions in people who avoid colorectal cancer information

Health information avoidance is a critical barrier to reaching people with health messaging and, ultimately, decreases population-level uptake of life-saving prevention behaviors such as colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We conducted a preregistered double-blinded experiment testing the efficacy of brief narrative video interventions designed to promote CRC screening by mitigating either of two known causes of health information avoidance: low self-efficacy and low perceived control over health outcomes.

Participants (N = 776, 45-75 years, not adherent to CRC screening, no history of CRC) recruited from Prolific, an online participant pool, were randomly assigned to view an intervention video (perceived control promoting colonoscopy, self-efficacy promoting colonoscopy, self-efficacy promoting fecal immunochemical test) or control video (food safety attentional control video, CRC informational video). Afterward, participants completed assessments of CRC information seeking, screening attitudes, and screening intentions.

Compared to an attentional control video, all three intervention videos improved all four outcomes; they were effective for people high in CRC information avoidance and those who were not. Effects for self-efficacy videos were mediated through increased self-efficacy. Effects for perceived control videos were not mediated through increased health locus of control. Interactions between video condition and avoidance were not significant. Intervention videos were not more effective than the informational CRC video.

Only 58% of the U.S. adult population is CRC screening adherent, and the rate is lower for people who avoid CRC information. By increasing CRC information seeking, positive CRC screening attitudes, and CRC screening intentions, these publicly available videos could have widespread public health impact. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).