Evaluation of tailored vs. targeted health messages to increase eye examination behavior

Although early detection of glaucoma is important given that it is asymptomatic, has available treatments, and can cause irreversible vision loss if untreated, studies show that people are not getting dilated fundus exams (DFEs) according to recommended guides. We evaluated tailored and targeted print messages that were designed to change eye examination behavior in African-Americans 65 years of age and older, a group at increased risk for glaucoma. At a 1-month telephone follow-up, participants were asked what they thought about the newsletter, including its appearance and content, and how relevant and useful they found the information. Of the 329 people who enrolled in the study, we collected newsletter information for 291 (88%), of whom 194 (67%) remembered receiving the newsletter. Of these, 84% read all or some of the newsletter, and almost 2/3 reported they still possessed the newsletter. For those who read at least some of the newsletter, 82% liked the way it looked, 69% thought that a lot or some of the information applied to them, and 39% reported knowing all or most of the information. We found no difference between the tailored and targeted groups for any of these variables. There was also no difference in DFE rates between the groups, with 40% of those in the tailored group having a doctor-confirmed DFE at 6 months compared to 38% in the targeted group.