Reducing HIV Risk in Urban Women: Soap Opera Videos on Video-Capable Cell Phones
1 other identifier
interventional
295
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Background: Love, Sex, and Choices (LSC) is a soap opera video series created to reduce HIV sex risk in women. Methods: LSC was compared to text messages in a randomized trial in 238 high-risk mostly Black young urban women. 117 received 12-weekly LSC videos, 121 received 12-weekly HIV prevention messages on smartphones. Changes in unprotected sex with high risk partners were compared by mixed models.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Nov 2008
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
November 26, 2008
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
March 16, 2011
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
February 28, 2014
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
October 23, 2017
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
November 6, 2017
CompletedNovember 6, 2017
October 1, 2017
2.3 years
October 23, 2017
October 31, 2017
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Change in unprotected sex risk with high risk partners from baseline to 6 months post-intervention
Sex risk is measured by the Vaginal Episode Equivalent (VEE) score (Susser, Desvarieux, \& Wittkowski, 1998) with high risk partners. The VEE is the sum of all unprotected vaginal anal sex acts weighted by the relative HIV transmission risk (vaginal 1 and anal 2). A high risk partner is defined as the likelihood the male partner had sex with another woman, sex with men, or injected drugs in the past 3 months. Partner risk could range from 0 to 9; main or non-main partners with scores \> 0 were considered to engage in risk behavior. Multiple partners were considered high-risk. An HIV positive partner is high risk.There is a four-point response metric, from "Definitely not" (0) to "Definitely did" (3). Only women having unprotected sex with a partner they perceived to have risk \> 0 by this system were included into the study. For a given visit, unprotected vaginal and anal sex with all high risk partners in the previous 3 months were calculated at baseline and at 3 and 6 months.
change in sex risk behavior from baseline to 6 months
Study Arms (2)
Intervention
EXPERIMENTALThe active intervention is "Love, Sex, \& Choices," a 12-episode, online HIV prevention intervention video series accessed on study provided smartphones. Each episode is up to 20 minutes in length. Study participants receive one episode per week for 12 weeks on study provided smartphones.
Control Comparison Group
ACTIVE COMPARATORThe control comparison intervention is twelve messages in text that promote HIV prevention behaviors and open communication with male sex partners. Study participants receive one message per week for 12 weeks on study provided smartphones.
Interventions
Love, Sex, and Choices was written and scripted by the study team and underwent pilot testing in the target population. The series was divided into 15-to-20 minute episodes that were streamed weekly. The principles of reducing HIV risk were communicated through the characters and high risk situations. The lead characters model how women become more powerful, meaning more aware of themselves as worthy of respect, making choices intentionally, feeling free to pursue their intentions, and involving themselves in creating change. This process leads to higher power sex scripts in the characters, meaning pursuing intentional choices and health promoting behaviors. The lead characters model open communication about HIV testing with a resistant partner, and initiating condom use.
The comparison group received 12 weekly HIV health promotion written messages over the smartphone. The messages were based on prevailing CDC recommendations and the theoretical framework. An example is: "Sexual health means respecting your own rights and feelings. Feeling pressured to have sex means limiting your choices and your freedom to love safely. …. If he doesn't like you being you, it may be time to walk." Other messages provided instructions on the correct condom use and the importance of HIV testing. The 12 messages were reviewed by ten African American and Latina undergraduate nursing students for ease of comprehension.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Women 18-29 years old
- Unprotected vaginal or anal sex with at least one man that they perceive as engaging in risky behavior OR
- Unprotected vaginal or anal sex with more than 1 man regardless of perceived partner risk
- Can understand written and spoken English
You may not qualify if:
- Women younger than 18 years old
- Women older than 29 years old
- Cannot understand written or spoken English
- Previously participated in the study
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
Related Publications (2)
Jones R, Hoover DR, Lacroix LJ. A randomized controlled trial of soap opera videos streamed to smartphones to reduce risk of sexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in young urban African American women. Nurs Outlook. 2013 Jul-Aug;61(4):205-215.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2013.03.006. Epub 2013 Jun 4.
PMID: 23743482RESULTJones R, Lacroix LJ. Streaming weekly soap opera video episodes to smartphones in a randomized controlled trial to reduce HIV risk in young urban African American/black women. AIDS Behav. 2012 Jul;16(5):1341-58. doi: 10.1007/s10461-012-0170-9.
PMID: 22430640RESULT
Related Links
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Rachel Jones, PhD
Northeastern University
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT
- Purpose
- PREVENTION
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
October 23, 2017
First Posted
November 6, 2017
Study Start
November 26, 2008
Primary Completion
March 16, 2011
Study Completion
February 28, 2014
Last Updated
November 6, 2017
Record last verified: 2017-10