Text-message Program to Reduce Risky Sexual Behavior in Young Adult Female Emergency Department (ED) Patients (StARSS)

University of Pittsburgh

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Education, Sex

Treatments: Behavioral: Lifestyle counseling

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01548183

PRO10100400

Details and patient eligibility

About

The US preventative services task force (USPSTF) recommends behavioral counseling in the primary care setting for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, however, screening and counseling rarely occur. Text messaging (TM) is increasingly being used as a tool to affect behavior change in patients, but its effect on patients that report at-risk sexual behavior in the emergency department (ED) is unknown. The investigators seek to assess the feasibility of ED-based screening of young adult females for at-risk sexual behavior and enrolling them in a 3 month trial using TM to deliver information and skill building to improve health behavior.

Enrollment: 52 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 25 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Female
• Age 18-25 years
• AUDIT-C score > 2
• (Drugs or alcohol prior to last sex OR No condom with last sex OR > 1 partner in last 3 months)

Exclusion criteria

• No personal cell phone with SMS features
• Prisoner
• Pregnant or planning in next 3 months
• Current or past drug/alcohol treatment or psychiatric treatment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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52 participants in 2 patient groups

Lifestyle counseling

Experimental group

Description:

Weekly SMS assessing risky sexual encounters and providing feedback including concern, goal-setting and tools to reduce risk

Treatment:

Behavioral: Lifestyle counseling

Usual care

No Intervention group

Description:

Usual care includes ED provider counseling as per normal clinical care