The EMERGE Project: Feasibility of Assessing Economic and Sexual Risk Behaviors Using Text Messages in Young Adults

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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As part of the development of the Engaging Microenterprise for Resource Generation and Health Empowerment (EMERGE) Project, the study team will conduct a single-group study to examine the feasibility of assessing economic and sexual risk behaviors using text messages. The team will enroll approximately 20 young adults, aged 18 to 24, who are African-American, homeless, out-of-school, and un/under-employed. Participants will complete a text-messaged survey each week for 5 weeks. The study team will collect information about the number of participants who respond to the weekly survey, the number of questions to which they respond in each survey, and the number of hours from sending a survey to participants to receiving their response. As an exploratory aim, participants will also receive 3 informational text messages each week for 5 weeks on HIV prevention and economic empowerment. The study team will obtain qualitative feedback from participants regarding text messages they most and least liked. The survey is not designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the text message intervention.

Detailed Description
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As part of the development of the Engaging Microenterprise for Resource Generation and Health Empowerment (EMERGE) Project, the study team will conduct a single-group study to examine the feasibility of assessing economic and sexual risk behaviors using text messages. The study team will enroll approximately 20 young adults, aged 18 to 24, who are African-American, homeless, out-of-school, and un/under-employed. Participants will complete a text-messaged survey each week for 5 weeks. The study team will collect information about the number of participants who respond to the weekly survey, the number of questions to which they respond in each survey, and the number of hours from sending a survey to participants to receiving their response. As an exploratory aim, participants will also receive 3 informational text messages each week for 5 weeks on HIV prevention and economic empowerment. The study team will obtain qualitative feedback from participants regarding text messages they most and least liked. The survey is not designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the text message intervention. The single-group study is anticipated to start in August 2017.

Official Title
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The Engaging Microenterprise for Resource Generation and Health Empowerment (EMERGE) Project: Feasibility of Assessing Economic and Sexual Risk Behaviors Using Text Messages in Homeless Young Adults

Conditions
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Feasibility

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Text-message survey and informational text messages


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Individuals will be included in the study if, at the time of enrollment, they are: African American Aged 18-24 Living in Baltimore City Experiencing homelessness in the past 12 months Employed fewer than 10 hours per week Not enrolled in school Ownership of a mobile phone with text-messaging capacity Reporting at least one episode of unprotected sex in prior 6 months or one other personal or sexual partner HIV risk factor within prior 6 months (STI diagnosis, sex while high or drunk, sex exchange, illicit drug use, alcohol dependence). Exclusion Criteria: Aged 17 or younger. Older than 24 years Unwilling to provide consent for study participation

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 24 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Survey and informational text messages<br>Text-message survey and informational text messages | Behavioral: Text-message survey and informational text messages<br>* Participants will complete a text-messaged survey each week for 5 weeks assessing economic and sexual risk behaviors. Participants will also receive 3 informational text messages each week for 5 weeks on HIV prevention and economic empowerment.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of Participants Who Respond to the Survey in Week 1 | Number of enrolled participants who respond to the survey in Week 1. Measure type 'number' was used for small sample size and as described in the original registration protocol. | Week 1 | 
| Mean Number of Questions to Which Participant Respond in Each Survey in Week 1 | Mean number of questions to which enrolled participant respond in each survey in Week 1. | Week 1 | 
| Mean Number of Hours From Sending a Survey to Participants to Receiving Their Response in Week 1 | Mean number of hours from sending a survey to enrolled participants to receiving their response in Week 1. | Week 1 |