My Best Alaskan Life: A Community-Designed Intervention to Improve Youth/Young Adults' Sexual and Mental Health

NCT06482242 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: UAlaskaAnchorage
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 320
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This project addresses critical public health disparities among Alaskan youth and young adults by developing and evaluating "My Best Alaskan Life" (MBAL), an innovative online tool aimed at improving sexual and mental health literacy and behaviors. By integrating motivational interviewing and the Health Belief Model, MBAL empowers individuals to make informed health decisions, thereby potentially reducing rates of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and associated mental health issues. Long-term, this project aims to enhance overall health outcomes, particularly in underserved multicultural and Indigenous communities, while building local research capacity through undergraduate and graduate student engagement and mentorship.

Conditions

Community-Based Participatory Research; Adolescent Behavior; Mental Depression; Sexual Health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Motivation for Change

  This validated shortened tool includes 3 questions per topic area, with four topics areas: sexual and reproductive health, emotional and behavioral health, life planning, \& sub-stance use.

  Baseline, immediate post, and 6 months post

• Sexual Health

  Condom/contraception use; HIV/STI testing; \& intention to delay sexual initiation (if not sexually active).

  Baseline, immediate post, and 6 months post

• Mental Health & Well-being

  The Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale is an 18-item scale measuring six aspects of wellbeing and happiness: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.

  Baseline, immediate post, and 6 months post

Study Arms (2)

Delayed access

OTHER

The step wedge design ensures that everyone has access to the intervention but data will be collected prior to the intervention being implemented at each site.

Behavioral: My Best Alaska Life

Immediate access

OTHER

Sites will be randomized to receive intervention and those who receive intervention initially, will then be compared to those who do not at the same time period.

Behavioral: My Best Alaska Life

Interventions

My Best Alaska Life BEHAVIORAL

MBAL's combination of digital innovation, inclusive content, and youth-driven design positions it as a leading-edge intervention in the field of sexual health, with the potential to significantly impact the lives of Y/YA in AK and beyond. The open-access digital website enhances the reach and engagement of MBAL, particularly among adolescents who may prefer to seek information and support online in a private, self-paced setting. By allowing youth to fill out this tool at their own pace and return to their home page as they want to reflect/change answers, they can update it as their lives change. Additionally, MBAL incorporates interactive elements (question types of open response, ranking, scales, drag/drop; journaling prompts \& space) and personalized features (ex. avatars of common AK animals designed by Y/YA), allowing users to tailor their life planning experience according to their individual needs and preferences and return to their answers.

Delayed access; Immediate access

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 26 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Alaska Anchorage: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Adolescent Behavior; Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: The research team will utilize a stepped wedge randomized clinical trial with 8 clinic/community sites, each recruiting 40 participants, for a total of 320 participants. Each site will transition from control (pre-intervention) to intervention (post-intervention) in a randomized, stepwise fashion. Sites are randomly assigned to different start times (in 4-week intervals) for the intervention, ensuring that every site eventually receives the intervention, while maintaining methodological rigor. From Weeks 0-4, baseline recruitment and pre-intervention survey administration will occur at all 8 sites. In Weeks 5-8 (Time Period 1), participants at Site 1 will start the intervention (each consented participant will be emailed a link to MBAL and the post-intervention survey upon completion.) In Weeks 9-12 (Time Period 2), participants at Site 2 will start the intervention, while Site 1 continues to recruit until 40 participants are enrolled in the study, and this pattern will continue.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 25, 2024
• First Posted: July 1, 2024
• Study Start: May 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2027
• Last Updated: July 1, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-06