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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02031575

Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health in Teens

The purpose of the Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health in Teens (SMART) is to evaluate the effectiveness of using text messages to improve the knowledge, communication, and attitudes about reproductive health among female adolescents in Greater Accra senior high schools. Previous research as well as qualitative work conducted by the Investigators shows that there are significant gaps in knowledge about reproductive health including on topics of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and contraception among secondary school students in Greater Accra. These gaps contribute to unwanted pregnancy and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, phone ownership and use among young people has spread rapidly, especially in urban areas such as Accra. The Study on Mhealth and Reproductive Health (SMART) will seek to use mobile phone messages to increase awareness of these reproductive health issues among female adolescents in Accra. The objectives of SMART are to evaluate whether the messages can increase knowledge, increase communication, and improve attitudes towards reproductive health among adolescents in Greater Accra. By conducting a randomized controlled trial, we will be able to statistically evaluate if the messages have had any effect on improving outcomes for adolescents in the areas of knowledge, communication, and attitudes. This work can help guide future programs that can scale up this intervention and ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of adolescents across Ghana.

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Key information

Conditions

Reproductive Health

Age range

14 year–24 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Innovations for Poverty Action

Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

(for treated and control subjects):

  • female
  • aged 14-24
  • secondary school student at day school

Exclusion criteria

(for treated and control subjects):

  • male
  • secondary school student at boarding school

Inclusion criteria

(for spillover subjects):

  • aged 14-24
  • secondary school student at day school

Exclusion criteria

(for spillover subjects):

  • secondary school student at boarding school

Treatment and study plan

Interactive Treatment

Behavioral

Mobile phone text messaging service about reproductive health

Basic treatment

Behavioral

Mobile phone text messaging service about reproductive health

Control, comparator arm

Other

Primary outcomes

  1. Knowledge of Reproductive Health True/False Quiz of 20 questions

    Time frame: 5-6 months after baseline and then again 14-16 months after baseline

  2. Sexual behavior

    Time frame: 14-16 months after baseline

    Assessed via a number of items: age at sexual debut, sex without a condom in the past year, pregnancy in the past year, ever had sex, use of condom at sexual debut, sex in the past year, used any contraception in the past year, used contraception at last sex, had an abortion

Secondary outcomes

  1. Communication about reproductive health with family, friends, professional, and boyfriend

    Time frame: 3 months (asked 5-6 months after baseline and again 12-14 months after baseline)

    Communication is assessed via questionnaire items that ask the participant how often the participant has communicated with family, friends, professional, and boyfriend over the past 3 months.

  2. Attitudes about reproductive health as measured by 5-point Likert type scale

    Time frame: 5-6 months after baseline and asked again 12-14 months after baseline

    Attitudes about reproductive health are measured via questionnaire items that ask participants about their attitudes about reproductive health. They respond via a 5-point Likert type scale.

Other outcomes

  1. Spillover effect

    Time frame: 3-6 months

    Assess how much knowledge, communication, and attitudes spilled over to students in same school but not receiving any intervention

  2. Process Measures

    Time frame: 3-6 months

    Assess whether students liked the intervention, whether they used it, and other questions designed to understand whether the mobile service was useful from students' perspectives

  3. Heterogeneous effects

    Time frame: 3-6 months

    Assess whether treatment effects are heterogeneous along a number of dimensions: age (younger/older), category of school, and community connectedness.

  4. Cost effectiveness

    Time frame: 3-6 months

    Assess whether the interactive treatment arm was cost effective compared to the basic treatment arm.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Harvard University

Other

Collaborators

  • Harvard Lab for Economic Applications and Policy
  • Weiss Family Program Fund for Research in Development Economics

Registry information

Acronym: SMART

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2014
Study completion
2015
First posted
Jan 9, 2014
Registry last updated
Aug 18, 2016

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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