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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06875284

Evaluating Cross-Cutting Prevention at the U.S. Air Force Academy

Sexual assault and alcohol misuse are interrelated, persist at high rates in military populations, and carry negative consequences for military units and personnel. Combining tailored efforts to prevent sexual assault and alcohol misuse is critical for developing a more effective Force. This study will test the cross-cutting immediate and long-term outcomes of two programs, the Sexual Communication and Consent (SCC) sexual assault prevention program and the eCHECKUP TO GO alcohol misuse prevention program, delivered separately and in combination, with Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy. Anonymous Cadet self-report data will be collected before training (pre-test), immediately after training (post-test), 3 months after training (Fall semester follow-up), and 9 months after training (Spring semester follow-up).

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Key information

Conditions

Sexual Assault Alcohol Misuse

Age range

17 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

United States Air Force Academy

Air Force Academy, Colorado, 80840, United States

About this study

Sexual assault and alcohol misuse both persist at high rates among military populations. These behaviors interfere with readiness, unit cohesion, mission objectives, and personnel performance and retention. There are demonstrated associations between sexual assault and alcohol misuse for both perpetrators and victims of sexual assault. Therefore, combining efforts to prevent sexual assault and alcohol misuse is critical for more effective and efficient programming. Moreover, tailored prevention programming that addresses individual risks and experiences related to sexual assault and alcohol misuse is likely to be the most effective programming. Unfortunately, to date, no evidence-based cross-cutting interventions have been developed and evaluated for impacts on both sexual assault and alcohol misuse among military populations. Several challenges impede this effort. Sexual assault prevention and alcohol misuse prevention are typically managed in different organizations within military settings, including within Military Service Academies. Training settings face many competing demands for trainees' time and instructor capacity, and instructors' ability to provide both sexual assault-related and alcohol-related training varies widely. Despite the promise of tailored training, individualized programming also presents feasibility challenges in group education settings common to military training. In alignment with the Fiscal Years 2021-2025 Department of Defense (DoD) Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Research Agenda and DoD's desire to have cross-cutting prevention programs that reduce risk for multiple harmful behaviors, the long-term goal of the proposed work is to address these challenges and provide the military with flexible, engaging, tailored prevention programming that reduces sexual assault and alcohol misuse while minimizing burden on Service members and training settings. To that end, the basic objective of this study is to test the cross-cutting immediate and long-term outcomes of two programs, the Sexual Communication and Consent (SCC) sexual assault prevention program and the eCHECKUP TO GO alcohol misuse prevention program, delivered separately and in combination, with Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy. Anonymous Cadet self-report data will be collected before training (pre-test), immediately after training (post-test), 3 months after training (Fall semester follow-up), and 9 months after training (Spring semester follow-up).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • U.S. Air Force Academy Basic Cadet enrolled in 2022 or 2023 Basic Cadet Training

Exclusion criteria

  • Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent

Treatment and study plan

Sexual Communication and Consent (SCC)

Behavioral

SCC combines universal classroom instruction with tailored web-based content. Based on sociodemographic characteristics and prior sexual assault experiences, Cadets receive tailored content that addresses either primary victimization prevention, revictimization prevention, or healthy relationships and bystander intervention promotion.

Alcohol eCHECKUP TO GO (eCHECKUP TO GO)

Behavioral

eCHECKUP TO GO is a personalized, online intervention designed to reduce cognitive risk factors for alcohol misuse. eCHECKUP TO GO is brief, self-guided, and provides individualized feedback based on a user's self-reported alcohol use patterns and consequences.

Training as usual (TAU)

Behavioral

TAU involves universal classroom instruction focused on developing knowledge, attitudes, and skills to promote personal resilience, increase potential for success, and develop healthy and rewarding personal relationships.

Primary outcomes

  1. Self-reported Sexual Assault Victimization

    Time frame: From pre-test to Spring semester follow-up, an average of 10 months

    Participants self-report whether they experienced any type of unwanted sexual contact between Basic Cadet Training and the Spring semester follow-up using a modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey.

  2. Self-reported Sexual Assault Perpetration

    Time frame: From pre-test to Spring semester follow-up, an average of 10 months

    Participants self-report whether they perpetrated any type of unwanted sexual contact between Basic Cadet Training and the Spring semester follow-up using a modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey.

  3. Self-reported Alcohol Use

    Time frame: From pre-test to Spring semester follow-up, an average of 10 months

    Participants self-report the approximate number of alcoholic drinks they consumed each day of the week during a typical week over the past month (assessed at both the Fall and Spring semester follow-up assessments). Participants who respond with any weekly value greater than 0 alcoholic drinks at either the Fall or Spring semester follow-up are coded as positive for any alcohol use.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Knowledge of Sexual Assault

    Time frame: From pre-test to post-test, an average of 1 month

    The percentage of correct participant responses to 8 true-or-false questions about sexual assault.

  2. Knowledge of Effective Consent

    Time frame: From pre-test to post-test, an average of 1 month

    The percentage of correct participant responses to 7 true-or-false questions about effective sexual consent.

  3. Self-efficacy to Resist Unwanted Sexual Advances

    Time frame: From pre-test to post-test, an average of 1 month

    A subset of participants rate their degree of confidence in their ability to use certain protective strategies in 6 specific high-risk situations. Scale scores range 6 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy.

  4. Normative Perceptions of Peer Alcohol Use

    Time frame: From pre-test to post-test, an average of 1 month

    Participants report how many days in the week they estimate the average Cadet of their same age and gender drinks and how many drinks the average Cadet of their same age and gender consumes per day using a modified version of the Quantity/Frequency/Peak questionnaire. The average number of estimated drinks consumed per drinking day is computed from this data and has a possible score range of 0 drinks to 6 drinks.

  5. Readiness to Change Alcohol Use Behavior

    Time frame: From pre-test to post-test, an average of 1 month

    Participants self-report their readiness to change their drinking behavior using a single item. The possible item score ranges 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater readiness to change.

  6. Dating-related Protective Strategy Use

    Time frame: From pre-test to Spring semester follow-up, an average of 10 months

    Participants self-report the degree to which they engaged in behavioral strategies to reduce sexual assault risk using the Dating Self-Protection Against Rape Scale. Scores range 0 to 70, with higher scores indicating greater engagement in dating-related protective behavioral strategies.

  7. Alcohol-related Protective Strategy Use

    Time frame: From pre-test to Spring semester follow-up, an average of 10 months

    Participants self-report the degree to which they engaged in behavioral strategies to reduce alcohol-related harms using an adapted version of the Protective Behavioral Strategies Survey. Scores range 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater engagement in alcohol-related protective strategies.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

RTI International

Other

Collaborators

  • San Diego State University
  • U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity
  • U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command
  • United States Department of Defense
  • University of Florida

Registry information

Official study title

Evaluating Cross-Cutting Sexual Assault and Alcohol Misuse Prevention Programming at the U.S. Air Force Academy

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Mar 13, 2025
Registry last updated
Nov 25, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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