Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health in Teens

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of the Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health in Teens (SMART) is to evaluate the effectiveness of using text messages to improve the knowledge, communication, and attitudes about reproductive health among female adolescents in Greater Accra senior high schools. Previous research as well as qualitative work conducted by the Investigators shows that there are significant gaps in knowledge about reproductive health including on topics of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and contraception among secondary school students in Greater Accra. These gaps contribute to unwanted pregnancy and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, phone ownership and use among young people has spread rapidly, especially in urban areas such as Accra. The Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health (SMART) will seek to use mobile phone messages to increase awareness of these reproductive health issues among female adolescents in Accra. The objectives of SMART are to evaluate whether the messages can increase knowledge, increase communication, and improve attitudes towards reproductive health among adolescents in Greater Accra. By conducting a randomized controlled trial, we will be able to statistically evaluate if the messages have had any effect on improving outcomes for adolescents in the areas of knowledge, communication, and attitudes. This work can help guide future programs that can scale up this intervention and ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents across Ghana.

Official Title
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Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health in Teens

Conditions
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Reproductive Health

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Interactive Treatment
* Behavioral: Basic Treatment
* Other: Control, comparator arm


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria (for treated and control subjects): female aged 14-24 secondary school student at day school Exclusion Criteria (for treated and control subjects): male secondary school student at boarding school Inclusion criteria (for spillover subjects): aged 14-24 secondary school student at day school Exclusion Criteria (for spillover subjects): - secondary school student at boarding school

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 14 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

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Basic Treatment<br>Sends messages to participants about reproductive health. | Behavioral: Basic Treatment<br>* Mobile phone text messaging service about reproductive health<br>|
| Experimental: Interactive Treatment<br>Sends multiple choice questions and receives texts message responses from participants with incentive for responding correctly | Behavioral: Interactive Treatment<br>* Mobile phone text messaging service about reproductive health<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Control<br>Sends messages to students about malaria prevention and control. | Other: Control, comparator arm<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Knowledge of Reproductive Health True/False Quiz of 20 questions |  | 5-6 months after baseline and then again 14-16 months after baseline | 
| Sexual behavior | Assessed via a number of items: age at sexual debut, sex without a condom in the past year, pregnancy in the past year, ever had sex, use of condom at sexual debut, sex in the past year, used any contraception in the past year, used contraception at last sex, had an abortion | 14-16 months after baseline | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Communication about reproductive health with family, friends, professional, and boyfriend | Communication is assessed via questionnaire items that ask the participant how often the participant has communicated with family, friends, professional, and boyfriend over the past 3 months. | 3 months (asked 5-6 months after baseline and again 12-14 months after baseline) | 
| Attitudes about reproductive health as measured by 5-point Likert type scale | Attitudes about reproductive health are measured via questionnaire items that ask participants about their attitudes about reproductive health. They respond via a 5-point Likert type scale. | 5-6 months after baseline and asked again 12-14 months after baseline | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Reproductive Health, Contraception, Public Health, Sexual Health, Adolescents, Mobile Health