Social Media, Teen Moms and PPD
Condition: Postpartum Depression
MeSH terms: Depression, Postpartum; Depression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Approximately 400,000 live births occur to adolescents in the United States annually. Of the
      50% of adolescent mothers who experience depressive symptoms, less than 25% comply with
      referrals for depression evaluation and treatment due to lack of knowledge of depression
      symptoms (literacy), negative attitude towards mental health treatment, perception that
      individuals with depression are stigmatized (subjective norms), lack of understanding of
      health resources that are available to her and under her control (perceived control), and
      lack of time. Social media is a promising vehicle to reach and educate adolescent mothers
      since most adolescent mothers use social media for communication and to search for health
      information. Based upon the Theory of Planned Behavior, the investigators will target 11
      counties in Kentucky with a social media ad campaign that will result in adolescent mothers
      (n=140) from those counties enrolling in an internet based intervention related to postpartum
      depression. The previously tested intervention includes vignettes from other adolescent
      mothers, questions and answers, resources, and an option to enroll in text message service.
      Before the intervention, after the intervention, and two weeks later the adolescent mothers
      will complete established questionnaires to determine if the intervention improved attitude
      and subjective norms towards depression and depression treatment, perceived control and
      intention related to seeking depression treatment, and the number of adolescent mothers with
      symptoms of depression who receive depression treatment. Data will be compared to scores on
      the same instruments from adolescent mothers (n=140) from the control group (18 other
      counties in Kentucky) that have not been targeted with the social media ad campaign or
      participated in the intervention. Data from the adolescent mothers in the control group will
      be collected in partnership with community agencies. The overall purpose of this trial is to
      test a cost effective and feasible method for reducing the cognitive and emotional barriers
      to accessing depression treatment in adolescent mothers. The specific aims are to (1) measure
      the extent to which a social media ad campaign is effective as a recruitment strategy; (2)
      test the effectiveness of an internet based social marketing intervention on both intention
      to seek treatment and rates of depression treatment, and (3) examine the dose effect of the
      intervention.
    


Intervention name(s): Use of internet based social marketing intervention; No use of social media
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Eleven counties in Kentucky will be targeted with ads on Google and Facebook that direct adolescent mothers to an Internet-based social marketing intervention. The ads will be implemented using Facebook's and Google's ad network. The ads are setup, configured, and adjusted online. Facebook has identified key words that are recommended for adolescent mothers: "16 and pregnant," "teen mom,' and names of television shows with subject matter specific to adolescent mothers. We will target the ads to correspond to a geographical area that specifies a distance from the largest city in each county, and we will specify county lines. Ads will only appear on the Internet in the counties that are targeted for the intervention.; No social media ads will be available in these counties.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Keywords: Health Care Quality; Access; Evaluation