Acne Care Online: protocol for a randomised trial of a digital behaviour change intervention to improve acne-related quality of life amongst 13-25 year olds

Santer, Miriam, Becque, Taeko, Essery, Rosie, Hooper, Julie, Le Feuvre, Rebekah, Sach, Tracey, Henaghan-Sykes, Kate, Soulsby, Irene, Steele, Mary, Slodkowska-Barabasz, Joanna, Eminton, Zina, Ridd, Matthew J., Francis, Nick, Thomas, Kim S., Stuart, Beth, Langan, Sinead M., Layton, Alison M., Patel, Mahendra, Little, Paul, Nuttall, Jacqui, Griffiths, Gareth, Thompson, Andrew R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6788-7222 and Muller, Ingrid 2026. Acne Care Online: protocol for a randomised trial of a digital behaviour change intervention to improve acne-related quality of life amongst 13-25 year olds. NIHR Open Research 6 , 91. 10.3310/nihropenres.14302.1

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Abstract

Background Acne is common with substantial impact on quality of life and health care costs. Antibiotics are frequently prescribed, leading to antibiotic resistance. Guidelines recommend topical treatments as first-line therapy, but they are under-used due to low awareness, avoidable side effects or delayed onset of action. AcneCareOnline, an online behavioural intervention, was developed to support self-management for young people with acne. Methods Multi-centre 1:1 randomized controlled trial with economic evaluation and process evaluation of AcneCareOnline. The trial will recruit people aged 13–25 years with self-defined acne and active lesions (on self-assessment scale). Participants will be recruited through English general practices, community pharmacies, schools/colleges, community and social media advertising. Intervention group receive access to AcneCareOnline. Control group are signposted to NHS advice and given access to the intervention after follow-up. Both groups have access to usual care. Follow-up is for 52 weeks. Target sample size is 908 participants. Outcomes Primary outcome is acne severity at 12 weeks, measured using Acne-QoL symptoms subscale. Secondary outcomes include; acne severity evaluated over 12 months (Acne-QoL symptoms subscale), other Acne-QoL subscales; self-reported treatment use, Patient Enablement Instrument, Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire, EQ-5D-5L, Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and resource use. Process evaluation includes qualitative interviews to explore trial participants’ engagement with the intervention and quantitative examination of potential moderator effects on intervention engagement. Economic evaluation includes cost utility analyses to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the online intervention compared to usual care alone from NHS and participant perspectives.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis
ISSN:	2633-4402
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 July 2026
Last Modified:	27 Jul 2026 15:42
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188499

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