Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT00333541

Evaluation of Internet Access and Use in Adolescent Women Initiating Contraception

This purpose of this study is determine whether the use of internet technology to communicate with adolescents about contraception is feasible and to determine whether it is more effective than traditional methods. Study subjects will complete baseline and follow-up surveys at 3, 6, and 12 months about their contraceptive practice and sexual behaviors.

Subjects with internet access will be randomized to either completing surveys remotely over the internet through email or to follow-up in clinic on laptop computers.

Our hypothesis is that women who have access to the internet as well as use the internet regularly are more likely to complete follow-up surveys. This will then in turn allow us to get a better understanding of contraceptive practices amongst high risk teens.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Contraceptive Behavior Behavior Contraception Behavior Internet Use Reproductive Behavior

Age range

15 year–24 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Despite the wide range of contraceptive technologies currently available the rate of unintended pregnancies in the U.S. remains high. In particular, adolescents, unmarried, low income, and minority women are amongst the highest risk populations for unintended pregnancy . Improving contraceptive use is critical for addressing this problem. Many programs have been developed and implemented to reduce sexual risk-taking behavior, one of the precursors to unintended pregnancies. Unfortunately, most of them have met with mixed results. Gaining insight into contraceptive practice and sexual behavior in this population is the first step towards improving contraceptive use. Many other disciplines have successfully used the internet for purposes of research (ie. asthma management, smoking cessation,etc), but this use of the internet has not been explored with adolescent women.

The study we are proposing is a randomized control trial to evaluate the use of internet technology in communicating with adolescent women about contraceptive practice. This study is a sub-study within an ongoing 12-month, longitudinal observational study of a cohort of "high-risk" women and their contraceptive practices and sexual behavior. Our hypothesis is that women who have access to the internet are more likely to complete follow-up surveys while enrolled in this longitudinal study, thus enabling us to obtain a greater understanding about contraceptive practice within this population via the internet. Furthermore, if internet proves to be a more effective means of communicating with adolescents because of the potential convenience and privacy of the method we may increase our impact on contraceptive use by embracing internet technology in the future.

Participants with internet access within the larger study will be identified and entered into a sub-study and randomized to either in clinic follow-up surveys or remote access completion of surveys via email over the internet. All participants will undergo the same screening, consent, and entry criteria for the study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Women age 15-24
  • Sexually active
  • Single
  • Initiating contraception: either OCP's, the patch, the ring, or depoprovera
  • English speaking
  • Have an active email account
  • Use email use ≥1 per wk

Exclusion criteria

  • Lack of email account
  • Email use < 1 per wk

Treatment and study plan

Using internet/E-mail for follow-up

Behavioral

follow-up via email link to survey

Primary outcomes

  1. Primary outcome: total # of subjects who complete all 3 follow-up surveys at 3, 6, and 12 months in each arm of the study

    Time frame: 1 year

Secondary outcomes

  1. Secondary outcome: evaluate the feasibility of using internet technology in this population by looking at how many subjects actually has access to the internet and report regular use in the entire cohort

    Time frame: 1 year

  2. and evaluate subject satisfaction with each method

    Time frame: 1 year

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Registry information

Official study title

Internet Access and Use in Women at High Risk for Unintended Pregnancy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Important dates

Study start
2006
Primary completion
2008
Study completion
2008
First posted
Jun 5, 2006
Registry last updated
Mar 5, 2015

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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.