NCT06582641

Brief Summary

This study is a randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of the Peer Group Connection - Middle School (PGC-MS) intervention on pre-sexual behaviors and sexual initiation in middle school-aged youth. The primary research questions it aims to answer are:

  1. 1.What is the impact of the offer to participate in PGC-MS relative to the control group on participants' reported initiation of sexual intercourse at sixteen months post-intervention?
  2. 2.What is the impact of the offer to participate in PGC-MS relative to the control group on participants' reports of ever smoking a cigarette at four months post-intervention?
  3. 3.What is the impact of the offer to participate in PGC-MS relative to the control group on participants' reports of ever using an electronic vapor product at four months post-intervention?
  4. 4.What is the impact of the offer to participate in PGC-MS relative to the control group on participants' reports of ever having a drink of alcohol at four months post-intervention?
  5. 5.What is the impact of the offer to participate in PGC-MS relative to the control group on participants' reports of ever using marijuana at four months post-intervention?

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
1,400

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
26mo left

Started Sep 2024

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress48%
Sep 2024Sep 2028

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

August 30, 2024

Completed
2 days until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 1, 2024

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

September 3, 2024

Completed
3.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 1, 2027

Expected
10 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 14, 2028

Last Updated

May 18, 2026

Status Verified

April 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

3.2 years

First QC Date

August 30, 2024

Last Update Submit

May 13, 2026

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

  • Initiation of sexual intercourse

    Participants are asked the following item: Have you ever had sexual intercourse?. The resulting variable is dichotomous with values 0 or 1, where 0 indicates a person who has never had sexual intercourse and 1 indicates a person who has had sexual intercourse.

    Assessed 16 months after the intervention period has ended (beginning of the second fall semester following the end of the program)

  • Ever smoked a cigarette

    Description: Participants are asked the following item: Have you ever smoked a cigarette, even one or two puffs?. The resulting variable is dichotomous with values 0 or 1, where 0 indicates a person who has never smoked a cigarette and 1 indicates a person who has smoked a cigarette.

    Assessed 4 months after the intervention period has ended (beginning of the first fall semester following the end of the program)

  • Ever used an electronic vapor product

    Participants are asked the following item: Have you ever used an electronic vapor product?. The resulting variable is dichotomous with values 0 or 1, where 0 indicates a person who has never used an electronic vapor product and 1 indicates a person who has used an electronic vapor product.

    Assessed 4 months after the intervention period has ended (beginning of the first fall semester following the end of the program)

  • Ever had a drink of alcohol

    Participants are asked the following item: Have you ever had a drink of alcohol?. The resulting variable is dichotomous with values 0 or 1, where 0 indicates a person who has never had a drink of alcohol and 1 indicates a person who has had a drink of alcohol.

    Assessed 4 months after the intervention period has ended (beginning of the first fall semester following the end of the program)

  • Ever used marijuana

    Participants are asked the following item: Have you ever used marijuana?. The resulting variable is dichotomous with values 0 or 1, where 0 indicates a person who has never used marijuana and 1 indicates a person who has used marijuana.

    Assessed 4 months after the intervention period has ended (beginning of the first fall semester following the end of the program)

Study Arms (2)

Peer Group Connection - Middle School (PGC-MS)

EXPERIMENTAL
Behavioral: Peer Group Connection - Middle School (PGC-MS)

Class as usual

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Peer Group Connection - Middle School (PGC-MS) is the treatment condition. PGC-MS is a school-based positive youth development program for students entering the transition year into middle school (6th or 7th grade). PGC-MS aims to improve school engagement and social-emotional learning skills that support adolescent health and educational outcomes for program participants. Participants receive 40-minute outreach sessions held 3 to 4 times per month for the full school year. Schools are expected to implement a minimum of 18 outreach sessions over the school year. PGC-MS outreach sessions are delivered by older peer leaders (8th, 9th, or 10th graders) who are carefully selected by faculty advisors and trained on how to deliver program content.

Peer Group Connection - Middle School (PGC-MS)

Eligibility Criteria

Age11 Years - 14 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsChild (0-17)

You may qualify if:

  • Be enrolled at a middle school participating in the study
  • Entering the middle school transition grade for the first time (6th or 7th grade depending on the middle school transition year) at a participating study school
  • Provide parental consent and student assent to participate in the study
  • Have the ability to complete a self-administered questionnaire in either English or Spanish in a classroom or group setting, unassisted, in 60 minutes or less.

You may not qualify if:

  • \- Repeating the middle school transition year (6th or 7th grade)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

The Policy & Research Group

New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, United States

RECRUITING

Study Officials

  • Sarah Walsh, PhD

    The Policy & Research Group

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

August 30, 2024

First Posted

September 3, 2024

Study Start

September 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 14, 2028

Last Updated

May 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

A dataset will be prepared at the conclusion of the study, which includes de-identified individual-level data on all study participants who contributed self-report data. Respondents will be represented only by a research ID number. Included in the dataset will be self-report data collected across all survey administrations (including demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, and theoretical antecedents to those behaviors) and select information on program participation (e.g., which program components were completed). Basic data cleaning steps will be taken in order to ensure data are unidentifiable and to increase usability.

Shared Documents
SAP
Time Frame
The individual participant dataset will become available twelve months after the study has concluded.

Locations