An Evaluation of Virtual Student Health Center Among Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders
Condition: Lack of Knowledge About Condoms and Birth Control; Adolescent Sexual Intercourse; Sexual Intercourse Without a Condom or Birth Control; Unplanned Pregnancies
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      WestEd and its partners Efficacity and the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), are conducting a
      randomized controlled trial of an innovative teen pregnancy prevention program, Healthy U,
      for youthful male offenders. This study involves male teenagers (age 14-19) at high risk for
      involvement in risky sexual behavior, including teen pregnancy. The innovative,
      non-curricular, technology-based intervention, Healthy U, is self-directed, low-cost, user
      friendly, and offers great promise in reaching incarcerated youth. The purpose of this study
      is to test this intervention on a population of young men incarcerated at the OYA who will
      soon be released into the community. The intervention is tailored to this population by
      updating the design, videos, and examples to best reflect the youth in the study, and OYA
      staff are being trained to facilitate the self-guided intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      WestEd and its partners, Efficacity and the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), were funded by the
      Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to conduct a randomized controlled trial of an
      innovative teen pregnancy prevention program, Healthy U (formally known as Virtual Student
      Health Center), for youthful male offenders to test the impact of this innovative,
      non-curricular, technology-based intervention, that is self-directed, low-cost, user
      friendly, and offers great promise in reaching incarcerated youth. Healthy U was designed to
      give adolescents and teens the tools they need to reduce their risk of unintended pregnancy
      and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, using a low-cost, transportable
      platform that is user-friendly for youth (and staff to oversee). In this project, we take the
      innovative Healthy U intervention and modify its implementation for juveniles in custody of a
      correctional facility.

      This study involved male teenagers (ages 14-19) at high risk for involvement in risky sexual
      behavior, including teen pregnancy. The findings from this study are intended to contribute
      to research on both teen pregnancy and crime prevention. Teen parents and their children are
      at greater risk for subsequent criminal offending, and the children of teen parents also have
      greater risk of child abuse and neglect victimization. The current knowledge base suggests
      that youth exposed to the juvenile justice system have sex more often with more partners at a
      younger age and without protection (Bryan, Rocheleau, Robbins, & Hutchinson, 2005). This
      randomized study was designed to contribute to our understanding of what works with this
      population and to strengthen our knowledge base around developing and implementing
      technology-based interventions in a juvenile correctional environment.
    

Intervention name(s): "Healthy U" tablet application
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): There are seven modules in Healthy U: Puberty, Birth Control, Teen Pregnancy, HIV, STDs, Healthy Relationships, and Condom Negotiation. Each module has six sections: Introduction and Review, Narrative Teen Portrait, Information Film, Activity/Game, Dramatic Film, and Imagination Challenge. The Introduction and Review has videos lasting 1-2 minutes where the Healthy U "host" introduces each module. In the Narrative Teen Portrait for each module, a different teen discusses their experience with the topic for 1-3 minutes. The Information Film lasts 5-18 minutes per module and provides factual information. For each module, the Activity/Game includes multiple choice, true/false, or other games. The Dramatic Film lasts 5-17 minutes for each module and shows a fictional account of a teen experiencing the topic. Finally, the Imagination Challenge asks the youth to imagine a scenario, such as going to a health clinic to obtain free condoms.
Other intervention name(s): Virtual Student Health Center
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: The treatment condition involves participation in a teen pregnancy prevention program, Healthy U (formally known as Virtual Student Health Center). The comparison condition for the study is treatment as usual.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: juvenile justice; male-focused intervention; unplanned teen fatherhood; technology-based intervention