STI/HIV Prevention Intervention for Adolescents in Singapore

May 6, 2016 updated by: Wong Mee Lian, National University of Singapore

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an STI/HIV/AIDS Prevention Intervention for Adolescents Attending a Public STI Clinic in Singapore

A randomized controlled trial conducted on 688 sexually experienced adolescents, with 337 participants assigned to the routine program, and 351 to the new intervention developed from an assessment of their needs. All participants will complete a self-administered questionnaire and an interview on their knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), self-efficacy, skills in negotiating for sexual abstinence or condom use, and sexual behaviors at baseline and at 6- and 12-months' post- intervention. All will be tested for STIs. Participants in the intervention group will receive 4 individual counseling sessions on STIs/HIV knowledge, life skills, secondary abstinence, safer sex and healthy relationships over 1 year. They will also be referred to counselors for proactive social and emotional support delivered through electronic media and other means. The control group will receive the usual counseling session at first and follow-up clinic visit.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The reasons for conducting this study in a clinical setting is threefold.

  1. This is group of adolescents that has a high risk for transmitting STIs to the community. Prior to this intervention, the investigators did a preliminary study and found a high number of sex partners (median: 4, range: 1-25) and high prevalence of unprotected sex (90%) and STIs (60%) in this group. Other factors in this group that facilitate the transmission of STIs is that 36% continued to engage in unprotected sex and half of the boys (49%) and three quarters of the girls (77%) delayed seeking treatment for more than a week after experiencing symptoms of STIs. The rate at which STIs spread in a population depends upon the average number of new cases of infection generated by an infected person (the basic or case reproduction ratio (Ro). This ratio, in turn, depends upon the efficiency of transmission, (b), the mean rate of change of sexual partners (c), and the average duration of infectiousness (D) as expressed in the form: Ro=b*c*D. Given their high number of sex partners and the long duration of infectiousness owing to their delay in seeking treatment, they would form an important group for spreading STIs to the general population.
  2. The investigators are able to adopt a rigorous study design, that is, a randomized controlled trial in a clinical setting to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention, and validate self-reported behaviors with laboratory tests for STIs. In contrast, it is less feasible to conduct the study in schools presently because of the sensitivity of the topic, conservative attitudes of parents and possible biases of self-reported sexual behavior in schools. School-based interventions will also exclude school drop outs, who were found in this ongoing study, to be significantly, more likely to engage in sexual activity.
  3. The investigators have conducted needs assessment of this group and this would help in developing interventions specifically for them. For instance, the investigators found that both males and females lack the confidence of using condoms correctly. The investigators incorporated a session on instilling skills for condom use in our intervention.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
688

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years to 19 years (ADULT, CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Singaporean citizens or permanent residents
  • Sexually active for the past 1 year
  • Heterosexual
  • Attending the clinic for the first time
  • Able to commit for one year in Singapore

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Involved in criminal investigation

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: SINGLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Standard care
The control group will receive the standard care provided by the STI clinic.
Active Comparator: Adolescent Behavioral intervention
Participants allocated to the intervention arm receive 4 on-site personalised counselling and 2 phone/online sessions over a 12-month period, targeting individual, relational, sociocultural and environmental factors pertaining to the acquisition of STI/HIV.
Behavioral: Adolescent Behavioral Intervention
Session 1 focuses on STI/HIV education and self-reflection. Session 2 aims to increase the awareness of STI/HIV preventive strategies by instilling condom use and negotiation skills. Motivational Interviewing is used during the behavioural counselling. Session 3 reviews the goal on safer sex set by the participant and examines the successful strategies on safer sex and identifies triggers for relapse. Success stories are shared to renew their motivation. Session 4 reinforces the progress of the participant by recapitulating the knowledge and motivation explored in previous sessions. The online sessions, by phone/SMS/Whatsapp are conducted 2 months after the second and third sessions to find out if they face any difficulties and to reinforce prevention information covered previously.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Consistent condom use
Time Frame: 12 months
This is assessed by: "Have you or your partner ever used a condom for vaginal sex in the last 6 months?" in the survey. Participants who gave the answer as 'Yes, always' are categorised as having consistent condom usage; whereas those who gave the answer as "Yes, sometimes", "No, not at all" and "Can't remember" are categorised as having inconsistent condom use.
12 months
Secondary abstinence
Time Frame: 12 months
This is assessed by: "How many times did you have vaginal sex in the last 6 months?"
12 months
STI incidence
Time Frame: 12 months
Defined as having a positive laboratory test result for a new episode of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, syphilis or HIV infection at either the 6-month or the 12-month assessment. Both gonorrhoea and chlamydia are detected by testing the urine specimens using Cobas Amplicor Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay. Type-specific serological tests (TSSTs) based on glycoprotein gG-1 and/or gG-2 are used to identify patients with genital herpes. Syphilis is screened using Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) treponemal test. HIV rapid test is performed using the Determine HIV-1/HIV-2 (Abbott) rapid test kit, where results are available in 20 minutes. For those who do not want to wait may opt for the EIA test for HIV infection.
12 months
Number of sexual partners
Time Frame: 12 months
This is is assessed by "How many persons did you have sex with in the last 6 months?"
12 months
Consistent condom use
Time Frame: 6 months
This is assessed by: "Have you or your partner ever used a condom for vaginal sex in the last 6 months?" in the survey. Participants who gave the answer as 'Yes, always' are categorised as having consistent condom usage; whereas those who gave the answer as "Yes, sometimes", "No, not at all" and "Can't remember" are categorised as having inconsistent condom use.
6 months
Secondary abstinence
Time Frame: 6 months
This is assessed by: "How many times did you have vaginal sex in the last 6 months?"
6 months
STI incidence
Time Frame: 6 months
Defined as having a positive laboratory test result for a new episode of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, syphilis or HIV infection at either the 6-month or the 12-month assessment. Both gonorrhoea and chlamydia are detected by testing the urine specimens using Cobas Amplicor Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay. Type-specific serological tests (TSSTs) based on glycoprotein gG-1 and/or gG-2 are used to identify patients with genital herpes. Syphilis is screened using Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) treponemal test. HIV rapid test is performed using the Determine HIV-1/HIV-2 (Abbott) rapid test kit, where results are available in 20 minutes. For those who do not want to wait may opt for the EIA test for HIV infection.
6 months
Number of sexual partners
Time Frame: 6 months
This is assessed by "How many persons did you have sex with in the last 6 months?"
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Success in stopping pressured sex
Time Frame: 12 months
This is assessed by: "If a boy/ girl puts pressure on you to be involved sexually and you don't want to be involved, how often do you succeed in stopping it?"
12 months
Confidence in using condoms correctly
Time Frame: 12 months
This is assessed by "How confident are you that you are using the condom correctly?" and rated on a scale ranging from "not confident at all" to "very confident"
12 months
Confidence in negotiating for condom use
Time Frame: 12 months
This is evaluated by "How confident are you that you are able to persuade your boyfriend/girlfriend to use condom?"
12 months
Success in stopping pressured sex
Time Frame: 6 months
This is assessed by: "If a boy/ girl puts pressure on you to be involved sexually and you don't want to be involved, how often do you succeed in stopping it?"
6 months
Confidence in using condoms correctly
Time Frame: 6 months
This is assessed by "How confident are you that you are using the condom correctly?" and rated on a scale ranging from "not confident at all" to "very confident"
6 months
Confidence in negotiating for condom use
Time Frame: 6 months
This is evaluated by "How confident are you that you are able to persuade your boyfriend/girlfriend to use condom?"
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National University of Singapore

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Skin Centre, Singapore
National Medical Research Council (NMRC), Singapore

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Mee-Lian Wong, MPH, MD, National University of Singapore

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 28, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 30, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 3, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 10, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 6, 2016

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NMRC/1188/2008

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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