Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health in Teens

NCT02031575 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB13-1647
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,419
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of the Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health in Teens (SMART) is to evaluate the effectiveness of using text messages to improve the knowledge, communication, and attitudes about reproductive health among female adolescents in Greater Accra senior high schools. Previous research as well as qualitative work conducted by the Investigators shows that there are significant gaps in knowledge about reproductive health including on topics of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and contraception among secondary school students in Greater Accra. These gaps contribute to unwanted pregnancy and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, phone ownership and use among young people has spread rapidly, especially in urban areas such as Accra. The Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health (SMART) will seek to use mobile phone messages to increase awareness of these reproductive health issues among female adolescents in Accra. The objectives of SMART are to evaluate whether the messages can increase knowledge, increase communication, and improve attitudes towards reproductive health among adolescents in Greater Accra. By conducting a randomized controlled trial, we will be able to statistically evaluate if the messages have had any effect on improving outcomes for adolescents in the areas of knowledge, communication, and attitudes. This work can help guide future programs that can scale up this intervention and ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents across Ghana.

Conditions

Reproductive Health

Keywords

Reproductive Health; Contraception; Public Health; Sexual Health; Adolescents; Mobile Health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Knowledge of Reproductive Health True/False Quiz of 20 questions

  5-6 months after baseline and then again 14-16 months after baseline

• Sexual behavior

  Assessed via a number of items: age at sexual debut, sex without a condom in the past year, pregnancy in the past year, ever had sex, use of condom at sexual debut, sex in the past year, used any contraception in the past year, used contraception at last sex, had an abortion

  14-16 months after baseline

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Communication about reproductive health with family, friends, professional, and boyfriend

  3 months (asked 5-6 months after baseline and again 12-14 months after baseline)

• Attitudes about reproductive health as measured by 5-point Likert type scale

  5-6 months after baseline and asked again 12-14 months after baseline

Other Outcomes (4)

• Spillover effect

  3-6 months

• Process Measures

  3-6 months

• Heterogeneous effects

  3-6 months

Study Arms (3)

Basic Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL

Sends messages to participants about reproductive health.

Behavioral: Basic Treatment

Interactive Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL

Sends multiple choice questions and receives texts message responses from participants with incentive for responding correctly

Behavioral: Interactive Treatment

Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Sends messages to students about malaria prevention and control.

Other: Control, comparator arm

Interventions

Interactive Treatment BEHAVIORAL

Mobile phone text messaging service about reproductive health

Interactive Treatment

Basic Treatment BEHAVIORAL

Mobile phone text messaging service about reproductive health

Basic Treatment

Control, comparator arm OTHER

Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• female
• aged 14-24
• secondary school student at day school

You may not qualify if:

• male
• secondary school student at boarding school
• aged 14-24
• secondary school student at day school
• \- secondary school student at boarding school

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Harvard University: lead
• Weiss Family Program Fund for Research in Development Economics: collaborator
• Harvard Lab for Economic Applications and Policy: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Innovations for Poverty Action

Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Rokicki S, Fink G. Assessing the reach and effectiveness of mHealth: evidence from a reproductive health program for adolescent girls in Ghana. BMC Public Health. 2017 Dec 20;17(1):969. doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4939-7.

  PMID: 29262823 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Slawa Rokicki, MS, BS

  Harvard University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Gunther Fink, PhD

  Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD Candidate

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 7, 2014
• First Posted: January 9, 2014
• Study Start: January 1, 2014
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2014
• Study Completion: July 1, 2015
• Last Updated: August 18, 2016

Record last verified: 2016-08

Locations

GH (1)