Procedure
dementia, ReDeSign
First, we sent direct mail to store managers based on the franchisers’ official websites. The store managers sent back the number of expected participants through a web form or postcard (store registration). After confirming the registration, the researchers delivered the enrollment cards to the stores.The participants individually read the study electronically and registered their names and e-mail addresses (individual registration). When individual registration was completed, blocked allocation at a 1:1 ratio was performed successively using a web-based randomization system (The intervention group’s participants were asked to complete the ReDeSign course within 1 month after the T1 survey and to respond to a response survey at the end of the course. The postintervention survey (T2) and a follow-up survey (T3) were conducted 1 month and 4 months after the T1 survey, respectively. Even if they had not completed the ReDeSign course, they responded to the T2 and T3 surveys.The control group participants completed the T2 survey after a 1-month waiting period. They were then able to use the ReDeSign courses. The length of the waiting period was determined to minimize loss to follow-up.The participants received rewards worth 500 yen for each survey (T1, T2, and T3), and 1,500 yen for completing the ReDeSign course. The reward amount was equated to the stores’ hourly wages so that the participants were not biased toward those with low levels of stigma. In other words, we prevented the participants who were not interested in dementia (who presumably have a high level of stigma) from dropping out of the study.