The Healthy Nudge

May 2024

Welcome to The Healthy Nudge. Each month, we'll get you up to speed on the latest developments in policy-relevant health behavioral economics research at CHIBE. See our 5 top stories below.

1) Offering both colonoscopy and at-home tests doubled colorectal cancer screening

A Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology paper by CHIBE affiliates Shivan Mehta, MD, MBA; Caitlin McDonald, MPH; Catherine Reitz, MPH; Keyirah Williams, BA; Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH; David Asch, MD, MBA; and colleagues

The rate of colorectal cancer screenings more than doubled when patients were given a choice between which type of screening they wanted—a take-home kit or colonoscopy—compared to those who were only offered the colonoscopy, according to new research. Find the paper here, and read the press release here.

2) Comparison of sales from vending machines with 4 different food and beverage messages

A JAMA Network Open paper by CHIBE affiliates Laura A. Gibson, PhD; Sophia V. Hua, PhD MPH; Jennifer A. Orr, MSPH; Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD; Christina A. Roberto, PhD; and colleagues

Could vending machines labeled with physical activity calorie equivalents or traffic lights lower the sales of unhealthy beverages? Find the paper here.

3) Patients fare better when they get palliative care sooner, not later

A Scientific American article featuring CHIBE affiliate Kate Courtright, MD, MSHP

In a study of more than 24,000 people with COPD, kidney failure, and dementia, researchers made palliative care an automated order, and the rate of referrals to palliative care increased from 16.6% to 43.9%, said Dr. Kate Courtright, lead author of the study. Length of hospital stay did not decline overall, but it did drop by 9.6% among those who received palliative care only because of the automated order. Read the story here.

4) A new $250 million approach to addressing health care patients’ food insecurities

A Penn LDI blog post by Hoag Levins featuring CHIBE Director Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD

“We all know food is central to health outcomes and affects many different organ systems in the body,” said Dr. Kevin Volpp. “And yet we also know that Americans don’t have very healthy diets. This initiative is about generating evidence and tools to help the health sector design and scale programs that increase access to nutritious food, improve health and health equity, and reduce overall health care costs.” Read the story here.

5) What would happen to PrEP adherence if out-of-pocket costs rise?

A CHIBE blog post featuring CHIBE Associate Director Jalpa Doshi, PhD

What would happen if PrEP, a highly effective medicine that reduces one’s chances of acquiring HIV, was no longer free of charge under almost all private health insurance plans? CHIBE Associate Director Jalpa Doshi, PhD, recently published a paper with colleagues on this topic. They found that even a small increase from $0 to $10 in monthly PreP out-of-pocket costs would double the percent of patients never filling their PrEP prescription. Read more here.