The Use of Deception in Public Health Behavioral Intervention Trials: A Case Study of Three Online Alcohol Trials

REFERENCES

• Barchard , K. A. and Williams , J. 2008 . Practical advice for conducting ethical online experiments and questionnaires for United States psychologists . Behavioral Research Methods , 40 : 1111 – 1128 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bortolotti , L. and Mameli , M. 2006 . Deception in psychology: Moral costs and benefits of unsought self-knowledge . Accountability in Research , 13 : 259 – 275 .
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Boutron , I. , Guittet , L. , Estellat , C. , Moher , D. , Hróbjartsson , A. and Ravaud , P. 2007 . Reporting methods of blinding in randomized trials assessing nonpharmalogical treatments . PLoS Medicine , 4 : e61
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Brendel , D. H. and Miller , F. G. 2008 . A plea for pragmatism in clinical research ethics . American Journal of Bioethics , 8 : 24 – 31 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• British Psychological Society . 2007 . Report of the Working Party on Conducting Reseach on the Internet: Guidelines for ethical practice in psychological research online . Available at: http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/conducting_research_on_the_internet-guidelines_for_ethical_practice_in_psychological_research_online.pdf (accessed March 1, 2012)
   Google Scholar
• Buchanan , D. R. and Miller , F. G. 2006 . A public health perspective on research ethics . Journal of Medical Ethics , 32 : 729 – 733 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bulmer , M. 1982 . Are pseudo-patient studies justified? . Journal of Medical Ethics , 8 : 65 – 71 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Burger , J. M. 2009 . Replicating Milgram: Would people still obey today? . American Psychologist , 64 : 1 – 11 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Carson , C. F. , Smith , D. W. , Lampacher , G. J. and Riley , T. V. 2008 . Use of deception to achieve double-blinding in a clinical trial of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil for the treatment of recurrent herpes labialis . Contemporary Clinical Trials , 29 : 9 – 12 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cave , E. and Holm , S. 2003 . Milgram and Tuskegee—Paradigm research projects in bioethics . Health Care Analysis , 11 : 27 – 40 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chick , J. , Lloyd , G. and Crombie , E. 1985 . Counselling problem drinkers in medical wards: A controlled study . British Medical Journal , 290 : 965 – 967 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Childress , J. F. , Faden , R. R. Gaare , R. D. 2002 . Public health ethics: Mapping the terrain . Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics , 30 : 170 – 178 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Clifford , P. R. and Maisto , S. A. 2000 . Subject reactivity effects and alcohol treatment outcome research . Journal of Studies on Alcohol , 61 : 787 – 793 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Fisher , C. B. and Fyrberg , D. 1994 . Participant partners—College-students weigh the costs and benefits of deceptive research . American Psychologist , 49 : 417 – 427 .
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Fleming , M. F. , Barry , K. L. , Manwell , L. B. , Johnson , K. and London , R. 1997 . Brief physician advice for problem alcohol drinkers: A randomized controlled trial in community-based primary care practices . Journal of the American Medical Association , 277 : 1039 – 1045 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Fleming , M. F. , Bruno , M. , Barry , K. and Fost , N. 1989 . Informed consent, deception, and the use of disguised alcohol questionnaires . American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse , 15 : 309 – 319 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hallett , J. , Maycock , B. , Kypri , K. , Howat , P. and McManus , A. 2009 . Development of a Web-based alcohol intervention for university students: Processes and challenges . Drug and Alcohol Review , 28 : 31 – 39 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Heather , N. 2010 . Breaking new ground in the study and practice of alcohol brief interventions . Drug and Alcohol Review , 29 : 584 – 588 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Heather , N. 2012 . Can screening and brief intervention lead to population-level reductions in alcohol-related harm? . Addiction Science & Clinical Practice , 7 : 15
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Higgins , J. P. T. , Altman , D. G. , Sterne , J. A. C. and on behalf of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group and the Cochrane Bias Methods Group . 2011 . “ Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies ” . In Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0, ed. , Edited by: Higgins , J. P. T. and Green , S. The Cochrane Collaboration . HIGGINS, J. P. T., GREEN, S., (updated March 2011), Available at: www.cochrane-handbook.org
   Google Scholar
• Jenkins , R. J. , McAlaney , J. and McCambridge , J. 2009 . Change over time in alcohol consumption in control groups in brief intervention studies: Systematic review and meta-regression study . Drug and Alcohol Dependency , 100 : 107 – 114 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jenkins , R. J. , McAlaney , J. and McCambridge , J. 2010 . Change over time in alcohol consumption in control groups in brief intervention studies: Systematic review and meta-regression study (vol 100, pg 107, 2009) . Drug and Alcohol Dependence , 108 : 151
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kass , N. E. 2001 . An ethics framework for public health . American Journal of Public Health , 91 : 1776 – 1782 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kirschner , K. , Braspenning , J. , Maassen , I. , Bonte , A. , Burgers , J. and Grol , R. 2010 . Improving access to primary care: The impact of a quality-improvement strategy . Quality & Safety in Health Care , 19 : 248 – 251 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Krebs , J. 2008 . The importance of public-health ethics . Bulletin of the World Health Organization , 86 : 579
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kypri , K. , Hallett , J. , Howat , P. , McManus , A. , Maycock , B. , Bowe , S. and Horton , N. J. 2009 . Randomized controlled trial of proactive web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for university students . Archives of Internal Medicine , 169 : 1508 – 1514 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kypri , K. , McCambridge , J. Cunningham , J. A. 2010 . Web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for Maori and non-Maori: The New Zealand e-SBINZ trials . BMC Public Health , 10 : 781
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kypri , K. , McCambridge , J. Vater , T. 2013 . Web-based alcohol intervention for Maori university students: Double-blind, multi-site randomised controlled trial . Addiction , 108 : 331 – 338 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kypri , K. , McCambridge , J. Wilson , A. 2011 . Effects of Study Design and Allocation on participant behavior—ESDA: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial . Trials , 12 : 42
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Laney , C. , Kaasa , S. O. , Morris , E. K. , Berkowitz , S. R. , Bernstein , D. M. and Loftus , E. F. 2008 . The red herring technique: A methodological response to the problem of demand characteristics . Psychological Research , 72 : 362 – 375 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lenza , M. 2004 . Controversies surrounding Laud Humphreys’ tearoom trade: An unsettling example of politics and power in methodological critiques . International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy , 24 : 20 – 31 .
   Google Scholar
• Lim , S. S. , Vos , T. Flaxman , A. D. 2012 . A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 . Lancet , 380 : 2224 – 2260 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Linke , S. , McCambridge , J. , Khadjesari , Z. , Wallace , P. and Murray , E. 2008 . Development of a psychologically enhanced interactive online intervention for hazardous drinking . Alcohol and Alcoholism , 43 : 669 – 674 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Marteau , T. M. , Ashcroft , R. E. and Oliver , A. 2009 . Using financial incentives to achieve healthy behaviour . British Medical Journal , 338 : b1415
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Marteau , T. M. , Oliver , A. and Ashcroft , R. E. 2008 . Changing behaviour through state intervention . British Medical Journal , 337 : a2543
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCambridge , J. , Bendtsen , P. , Bendtsen , M. and Nilsen , P. 2012 . Alcohol email assessment and feedback study dismantling effectiveness for university students (AMADEUS-1): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial . Trials , 13 : 49
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCambridge , J. , Butor-Bhavsar , K. , Witton , J. and Elbourne , D. 2011 . Can research assessments themselves cause bias in behaviour change trials? A systematic review of evidence from Solomon 4-group studies . PLoS ONE , 6 : e25223
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCambridge , J. and Day , M. 2008 . Randomized controlled trial of the effects of completing the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test questionnaire on self-reported hazardous drinking . Addiction , 103 : 241 – 248 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCambridge , J. , De Bruin , M. and Witton , J. 2012 . The effects of demand characteristics on research participant behaviours in non-laboratory settings: A systematic review . PLoS ONE , 7 : e39116
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCambridge , J. and Kypri , K. 2011 . Can simply answering research questions change behaviour? Systematic review and meta analyses of brief alcohol intervention trials . PLoS One , 6 : e23748
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCambridge , J. , Kypri , K. and Wilson , A. 2012 . How should debriefing be undertaken in web-based studies? Findings from a randomised controlled trial . Journal of Medical Internet Research , 14 : e157
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Miller , F. G. , Gluck , J. P. Jr. and Wendler , D. 2008 . Debriefing and accountability in deceptive research . Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal , 18 : 235 – 251 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Miller , F. G. and Wendler , D. 2006 . The relevance of empirical research in bioethics . Schizophrenia Bulletin , 32 : 37 – 41 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Nuffield Council on Bioethics . 2007 . Public health: Ethical issues. , London , UK : Nuffield Council on Bioethics .
   Google Scholar
• O’Neil , C. C. and Miller , F. G. 2009 . When scientists deceive: Applying the federal regulations . Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics , 37 : 344 – 350 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Office for Human Research Protections . 1993 . “ Basic IRB review ” . In Institutional Review Board Guidebook, chap. 3 Available at: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/archive/irb/irb_chapter3.htm#e2
   Google Scholar
• Rachels , J. 1999 . The elements of moral philosophy (3rd ed.). , Boston , MA : McGraw-Hill College .
   Google Scholar
• Rehm , J. , Mathers , C. , Popova , S. , Thavorncharoensap , M. , Teerawattananon , Y. and Patra , J. 2009 . Global burden of disease and injury and economic cost attributable to alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders . Lancet , 373 : 2223 – 2233 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Room , R. , Babor , T. and Rehm , J. 2005 . Alcohol and public health . Lancet , 365 : 519 – 530 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Rosenhan , D. L. 1973 . On being sane in insane places . Science , 179 : 250 – 258 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Rosnow , R. L. and Rosenthal , R. 1997 . People studying people: Artifacts and ethics in behavioral research. , New York , NY : Freeman .
   Google Scholar
• Sarantakos , S. 2005 . Social research. , Hampshire , , UK : Palgrave Macmillan .
   Google Scholar
• Sharkey , S. , Jones , R. Smithson , J. 2011 . Ethical practice in internet research involving vulnerable people: Lessons from a self-harm discussion forum study (SharpTalk) . Journal of Medical Ethics , 37 : 752 – 728 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Spitzer , R. L. 1975 . On pseudoscience in science, logic in remission, and psychiatric diagnosis: A critique of Rosenhan's “On being sane in insane places.” . Journal of Abnormal Psychology , 84 : 442 – 452 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wallace , P. , Cutler , S. and Haines , A. 1988 . Randomised controlled trial of general practitioner intervention in patients with excessive alcohol consumption . British Medical Journal , 297 : 663 – 668 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wendler , D. and Miller , F. G. 2004 . Deception in the pursuit of science . Archives of Internal Medicine , 164 : 597 – 600 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Whitehead , L. C. 2007 . Methodological and ethical issues in Internet-mediated research in the field of health: an integrated review of the literature . Social Science & Medicine , 65 : 782 – 791 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• WHO Brief Intervention Study Group . 1996 . A cross-national trial of brief interventions with heavy drinkers . American Journal of Public Health , 86 : 948 – 955 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Williams , J. R. 2008 . The Declaration of Helsinki and public health . Bulletin of the World Health Organization , 86 : 650 – 652 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wong , M. L. , Chan , R. Tan , H. H. 2012 . Sex work and risky sexual behaviors among foreign entertainment workers in urban Singapore: Findings from mystery client survey . Journal of Urban Health , 89 : 1031 – 1044 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• World Medical Association . 2008 . World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects . Available at: http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/ (accessed September 30, 2013).
   Google Scholar