An Evaluation of Virtual Student Health Center Among Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders
- Conditions
- Unplanned PregnanciesLack of Knowledge About Condoms and Birth ControlAdolescent Sexual IntercourseSexual Intercourse Without a Condom or Birth Control
- Interventions
- Other: "Healthy U" tablet application
- Registration Number
- NCT04027010
- Lead Sponsor
- WestEd
- Brief Summary
WestEd and its partners Efficacity and the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), are conducting a randomized controlled trial of an innovative teen pregnancy prevention program, Healthy U, for youthful male offenders. This study involves male teenagers (age 14-19) at high risk for involvement in risky sexual behavior, including teen pregnancy. The innovative, non-curricular, technology-based intervention, Healthy U, is self-directed, low-cost, user friendly, and offers great promise in reaching incarcerated youth. The purpose of this study is to test this intervention on a population of young men incarcerated at the OYA who will soon be released into the community. The intervention is tailored to this population by updating the design, videos, and examples to best reflect the youth in the study, and OYA staff are being trained to facilitate the self-guided intervention.
- Detailed Description
WestEd and its partners, Efficacity and the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), were funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to conduct a randomized controlled trial of an innovative teen pregnancy prevention program, Healthy U (formally known as Virtual Student Health Center), for youthful male offenders to test the impact of this innovative, non-curricular, technology-based intervention, that is self-directed, low-cost, user friendly, and offers great promise in reaching incarcerated youth. Healthy U was designed to give adolescents and teens the tools they need to reduce their risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, using a low-cost, transportable platform that is user-friendly for youth (and staff to oversee). In this project, we take the innovative Healthy U intervention and modify its implementation for juveniles in custody of a correctional facility.
This study involved male teenagers (ages 14-19) at high risk for involvement in risky sexual behavior, including teen pregnancy. The findings from this study are intended to contribute to research on both teen pregnancy and crime prevention. Teen parents and their children are at greater risk for subsequent criminal offending, and the children of teen parents also have greater risk of child abuse and neglect victimization. The current knowledge base suggests that youth exposed to the juvenile justice system have sex more often with more partners at a younger age and without protection (Bryan, Rocheleau, Robbins, \& Hutchinson, 2005). This randomized study was designed to contribute to our understanding of what works with this population and to strengthen our knowledge base around developing and implementing technology-based interventions in a juvenile correctional environment.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- Male
- Target Recruitment
- 295
- Male
- Aged 14-19
- OYA commits
- Have the cognitive ability to complete the baseline and follow-up surveys
- Need to be within 30-90 days of release
- Female
- Outside of age criteria
- Oregon Department of Corrections commits
- Does not have the cognitive ability to complete the baseline and follow-up surveys
- Not within 30-90 days of release
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description "Healthy U" tablet application "Healthy U" tablet application Healthy U is a self-administered intervention implemented through a tablet app with interactive learning experiences, including videos, digital games, quizzes, and role-plays. Healthy U takes youth 3-4 hours to complete. The goals of Healthy U are to: 1) Increase male youth's perception of vulnerability to unplanned fatherhood, STDs and HIV; 2) Increase male youth's self-efficacy for negotiating condom use with their partners; 3) Increase male youth's self-efficacy for using condoms correctly and consistently every time they have sex; and 4) Increase male youth's engagement with goals and dreams for their future.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Sexual intercourse 6 months after the baseline survey The outcome was based on four survey items. Youth who responded "no" to the first item: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse?" were coded as "0". Youth who responded "no" to the second item: "Have you been out of a close custody OYA facility any time in the past three months?" were also coded as "0". Youth who responded "no" to the third item: "During the last 3 months, did you have sexual intercourse, even once?" were also coded as "0". Youth who responded "yes" to the first three items and provided a valid response greater than zero to the fourth item: "In the last 3 months (include only the time you were outside of a close custody OYA facility), how many TIMES did you have sexual inter-course?" were coded as the value they entered.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Sexual intercourse without any methods of birth control 6 months after the baseline survey The outcome was based on four survey items. Youth who responded "no" to the first item: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse?" were coded as "0". Youth who responded "no" to the second item: "Have you been out of a close custody OYA facility any time in the past three months?" were also coded as "0". Youth who responded "no" to the third item: "During the last 3 months, did you have sexual intercourse, even once?" were also coded as "0". Youth who responded "yes" to the first three items and provided a valid response greater than zero to the fourth item: "In the last 3 months (include only the time you were outside of a close custody OYA facility), how many times did you have sexual intercourse without you or your partner using any methods of birth control (that is, you didn't use a condom or any other type of birth control shown in the blue box above)?" were coded as the value they entered. Youth who responded "none" to the fourth item were coded as "0".
Subsequent pregnancies of female partners 6 months after the baseline survey The outcome was created by subtracting the number of pregnancies reported at baseline from the number of pregnancies reported at the 6-month follow-up. At both time points, the measure was based on three questions. Youth who responded "no" to the first item: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse?" were coded as "0". Youth who responded "no" or "don't know" to the second item: "To the best of your knowledge, have you ever gotten someone pregnant, even if no child was born?" were also coded as "0". Youth who responded "yes" to the first two items and provided a valid response greater than zero to the third item: "To the best of your knowledge, how many times have you gotten someone pregnant?" were coded as the value they entered.
Sexual intercourse without a condom 6 months after the baseline survey The outcome was created by subtracting the sexual intercourse outcome from the following measure based on four items. Youth who responded "no" to the first item: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse?" were coded as "0". Youth who responded "no" to the second item: "Have you been out of a close custody OYA facility any time in the past three months?" were also coded as "0". Youth who responded "no" to the third item: "During the last 3 months, did you have sexual intercourse, even once?" were also coded as "0". Youth who responded "yes" to the first three items and provided a valid response greater than zero to the fourth item: "In the last 3 months (include only the time you were outside of a close custody OYA facility), how many TIMES did you or your partner use a condom when you had sexual inter-course?" were coded as the value they entered. Youth who responded "none" to the fourth item were coded as "0".
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
WestEd
🇺🇸Woburn, Massachusetts, United States