Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Feb;29(1):26-32.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2015.06.001. Epub 2015 Jun 6.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare Computer-assisted Motivational Intervention with Didactic Educational Counseling to Reduce Unprotected Sex in Female Adolescents

Melanie A Gold  1 , Golfo K Tzilos  2 , L A R Stein  3 , Bradley J Anderson  4 , Michael D Stein  5 , Christopher M Ryan  6 , Allan Zuckoff  7 , Carlo DiClemente  8
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare Computer-assisted Motivational Intervention with Didactic Educational Counseling to Reduce Unprotected Sex in Female Adolescents

Melanie A Gold et al. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Study objective: To examine a computer-assisted, counselor-guided motivational intervention (CAMI) aimed at reducing the risk of unprotected sexual intercourse. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We conducted a 9-month, longitudinal randomized controlled trial with a multisite recruitment strategy including clinic, university, and social referrals, and compared the CAMI with didactic educational counseling in 572 female adolescents with a mean age of 17 years (SD = 2.2 years; range = 13-21 years; 59% African American) who were at risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The primary outcome was the acceptability of the CAMI according to self-reported rating scales. The secondary outcome was the reduction of pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease risk using a 9-month, self-report timeline follow-back calendar of unprotected sex.

Results: The CAMI was rated easy to use. Compared with the didactic educational counseling, there was a significant effect of the intervention which suggested that the CAMI helped reduce unprotected sex among participants who completed the study. However, because of the high attrition rate, the intent to treat analysis did not demonstrate a significant effect of the CAMI on reducing the rate of unprotected sex.

Conclusion: Among those who completed the intervention, the CAMI reduced unprotected sex among an at-risk, predominantly minority sample of female adolescents. Modification of the CAMI to address methodological issues that contributed to a high drop-out rate are needed to make the intervention more acceptable and feasible for use among sexually active predominantly minority, at-risk, female adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescents; Computer intervention; Condom; Contraception; HIV; Motivational interviewing (MI); Pregnancy prevention; Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); Transtheoretical model (TTM).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant Flow
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2012. Atlanta: 2013.
    1. Forhan SE, Gottlieb SL, Sternberg MR, et al. Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among female adolescents aged 14 to 19 in the United States. Pediatr. 2009;124:1505–1512. - PubMed
    1. Weinstock H, Berman S, Cates W., Jr Sexually transmitted diseases among American youth: incidence and prevalence estimates, 2000. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2004;36:6–10. - PubMed
    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2020 Website. 2015 - PubMed
    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Developing Objectives for Healthy People. Washington, DC: 2010.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources