# e-Motivacion: Developing and pilot testing an app to improve Latinos screening colonoscopy rates

> **NIH NIH R34** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $217,992

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) directly increases with age, with 89% of all CRC occurring in
individuals over the age of 50. Among Latinos, a fast growing and underserved population, CRC is the third
leading cause of cancer death. Compared to non-Latino whites, Latinos are less likely to be diagnosed with
localized CRC and more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stage disease. Therefore, it is critical to improve
this population’s CRC prevention efforts. Published guidelines recommend that average risk people begin
screening for CRC at the age of 50. Of the recommended CRC screening tests, a colonoscopy is considered
the gold standard because it allows for both the detection and removal of precancerous and cancerous polyps.
Although screening colonoscopies can detect and prevent CRC, more than half of Latinos have not received a
screening colonoscopy within the recommended time frame (one screening colonoscopy per ten years). It is
critical to increase Latinos’ screening colonoscopy rates in order to help prevent CRC in this vulnerable and
growing population. Dr. Miller’s previous research, as well as the current literature, suggests that an
electronically-delivered motivational interviewing (e-MI) intervention may improve Latinos’ screening
colonoscopy uptake. By eliminating the need for an on-site professional, an e-MI intervention is a potentially
high reach, low cost intervention. Despite the promise of an e-MI intervention to improve Latinos’ screening
colonoscopy uptake, no research to date has developed and tested such an intervention. The proposed NIA
R34 aims to develop and begin to test an e-MI tablet application (app), called e-Motivación (e-Motivation). The
e-Motivación app will be offered in both English and Spanish and will be delivered to participants in the primary
care clinic after they receive a referral for a screening colonoscopy. The proposed project will first create and
test an interactive prototype of the e-Motivación app. Four focus groups with key stakeholders will then
provide their feedback on the app’s prototype (N=34). The focus group members’ feedback will guide the
development and programming of the e-Motivación app. Next, the app will be field-tested, using an iterative
approach, with Latinos referred for a screening colonoscopy (N=40). The field-testing results will guide the
development, revisions and finalization of the e-Motivación app. Then, a pilot study will be conducted to begin
to examine the efficacy of the e-Motivación app for improving screening colonoscopy uptake among Latinos.
Participants (N=80) will be randomly assigned, stratified for language, to one of two groups: e-Motivación app
(N=40) or general health information app (N=40). The results of the pilot study will inform power calculations
for a future randomized clinical trial that will formally test the efficacy of the app. If this program of research
proves the e-motivación app efficacious there is a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9908040
- **Project number:** 5R34AG059705-03
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah J Miller
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $217,992
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9908040

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9908040, e-Motivacion: Developing and pilot testing an app to improve Latinos screening colonoscopy rates (5R34AG059705-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9908040. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*