Pilot of Social Network Intrauterine Contraceptive (IUC) Intervention
Condition: Attitudes
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study has two goals: 1) to test an approach to helping women who use intrauterine
      contraception (IUC) spread the word about this type of long-lasting, highly effective birth
      control method among their friends and family and; 2) to test ways of getting in touch with
      these women's friends and family so that we can track whether this approach is effective at
      spreading birth control information through social groups.
    

Detailed description: 
      Pilot of peer IUC intervention We will assess its feasibility and acceptability as a low-cost
      intervention designed to be implemented at clinics providing family planning care. The
      intervention is being designed based off of phase 1 of this study, currently in the analysis
      phase, which included semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and surveys with a diverse
      sample of young women with varying degrees of experience with IUC. The intervention will
      consist of brief education about IUC and development of interpersonal skills, including how
      to initiate conversations about reproductive health issues in social settings and how to
      utilize social media. New IUC users will be recruited as "dissemination agents" to provide
      information about the option of IUC to their peers. Sixteen to twenty IUC users will be
      recruited from a local family planning clinic to receive the intervention, and we will
      conduct 3-month qualitative and quantitative follow-up of these individuals and their social
      contacts to assess the feasibility and impact of the intervention on IUC knowledge, attitudes
      and practices. We will also conduct a focus group with clinic staff about the feasibility of
      implementing the intervention in the clinical setting.

      Test of snowball sampling for social network analysis The social contacts will be recruited
      via one of two snowball sampling methods: active or passive recruitment. Eight to ten
      dissemination agents will be randomized into each recruitment arm. In the passive recruitment
      arm, the dissemination agents (IUC users receiving the intervention) will give referral cards
      to their social contacts, encouraging them to contact the research team. Dissemination agents
      will receive a small "finder's fee" for each friend who contacts the researchers.

      In the active recruitment approach, dissemination agents will ask their social contacts for
      permission to share their contact information with study staff, who will then actively reach
      out to the social contacts to ask if they would like to enroll in the study. Dissemination
      agents will also receive a finder's fee for each social contact who enrolls.

      In both recruitment arms, social contacts will complete a baseline survey and will be
      contacted for follow-up at 3 months to assess the effects of the intervention. We will also
      assess which recruitment method is most effective at enrolling members of the dissemination
      agents' social network. A randomly selected sub-set of participants will be selected to
      complete a more detailed qualitative interview at the end of the intervention. To minimize
      any potential Hawthorne effect, social contacts will initially be blinded as to the specific
      aims being assessed, and will be debriefed at the end of the study.

      This pilot study will provide the data necessary to prepare for a randomized controlled trial
      of this intervention.
    

Intervention name(s): Contraception Information Packet
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The intervention will consist of brief education about IUC and development of interpersonal skills, including how to initiate conversations about reproductive health issues in social settings and debunking common IUC myths
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Keywords: intrauterine contraception (IUC); social networks; social influence; diffusion of innovation; intrauterine device (IUD); LARC