Engineering an Online STI Prevention Program: RCT
Condition: Alcohol Consumption; Sexually Transmitted Diseases
MeSH terms: Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Alcohol Drinking
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The overall objective of the proposed research is to reduce the incidence of sexually
      transmitted infections (STIs) among college students. The investigators propose to accomplish
      this by using the innovative, engineering-inspired multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) to
      develop a highly effective, appealing, economical, and readily scalable internet-delivered
      behavioral intervention targeting the intersection of alcohol use and sexual risk behavior.
      The rate of STIs on college campuses is alarming: one in four college students is diagnosed
      with an STI at least once during their college experience. Sexual activity when drinking
      alcohol is highly prevalent among college students. Alcohol use is known to contribute to the
      sexual risk behaviors that are most responsible for the transmission of STIs, namely
      unprotected sex, contact with numerous partners, and "hook-ups" (casual sexual encounters).
      Few interventions have been developed that explicitly target the intersection of alcohol use
      and sexual risk behaviors, and none have been optimized. In order to reduce the incidence of
      STI transmission among this and other high-risk groups, a new approach is needed. MOST is a
      comprehensive methodological framework that brings the power of engineering principles to
      bear on optimization of behavioral interventions. MOST enables researchers to experimentally
      test the individual components in an intervention to determine their effectiveness,
      indicating which components need to be revised and re-tested. Given the high rates of alcohol
      use and sex among college students, the college setting provides an ideal opportunity for
      intervening on alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors. The proposed study will include a
      diverse population of college students on 4 campuses which will increase the generalizability
      of the findings. The specific aims are to (1) develop and pilot test an initial set of online
      intervention components targeting the link between alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors, (2)
      use the MOST approach to build an optimized preventive intervention, and (3) evaluate the
      effectiveness of the newly optimized preventive intervention using a fully powered randomized
      controlled trial (RCT). This work will result in a new, more potent behavioral intervention
      that will reduce the incidence of STIs among college students in the US, and will lay the
      groundwork for a new generation of highly effective STI prevention interventions aimed at
      other subpopulations at risk.
    

Detailed description: 
      As part of the MOST approach, the investigators have conducted two optimization trials
      (NCT02897804 and NCT 03408743) to identify the optimized intervention. The current study is
      the randomized controlled trial of the optimized intervention.
    

Intervention name(s): itMatters; itMatters and itMatters Sexual Violence Prevention; itMatters Well-being and itMatters Sexual Violence Prevention; itMatters Well-being
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Increase knowledge related to STIs, STI risk, alcohol impairment, condom use, alcohol use behavior tracking skill, testing & treatment knowledge. Correct misperceptions regarding approval (injunctive norms) and prevalence (descriptive norms) of alcohol misuse & sexual risk taking.; Increase knowledge related to STIs, STI risk, alcohol impairment, condom use, alcohol use behavior tracking skill, testing & treatment knowledge. Correct misperceptions regarding approval (injunctive norms) and prevalence (descriptive norms) of alcohol misuse & sexual risk taking. Additionally, increased knowledge related to sexual violence (prevalence, key definitions, individual rights and responsibilities, laws) and increased knowledge, efficacy, and intentions to use bystander behaviors during moments of sexual violence.; Increase knowledge related to sleep, including biological effects of sleep and sleep hygiene. Increase knowledge related to time management, including important definitions, sleep management strategies, and effective time management routines. Additionally, increased knowledge related to sexual violence (prevalence, key definitions, individual rights and responsibilities, laws) and increase knowledge, efficacy, and intentions to use bystander behaviors during moments of sexual violence.; Increase knowledge related to sleep, including biological effects of sleep and sleep hygiene. Increase knowledge related to time management, including important definitions, sleep management strategies, and effective time management routines.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Multiphase optimization strategy (MOST); College students