Effectiveness of an Online Prevention Program in Reducing the Risk of STD Infection in Young Adults (Youthnets)

September 11, 2020 updated by: University of Colorado, Denver

Internet-based Efficacy Trial of an HIV Prevention Program

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored interactive online risk reduction program versus a standard online risk reduction program in reducing the risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) infection in young adults.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Adolescents and young adults are at the greatest risk for acquiring an STD. Approximately 3 million people between the ages of 18 and 24 become infected each year. Education about the risks and consequences of unprotected sex is a powerful tool that can be used to prevent or reduce the risk of infection. The program in this study will deliver messages to educate participants about condom use and the risk of STD infection. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored interactive online risk reduction program versus a standard online risk reduction program in reducing the risk of STD infection in young adults.

Participants in this 1-year open-label study will be recruited exclusively via the internet. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive internet-based messages from either the Youthnet program or the control program. Messages from the Youthnet program will be interactive and tailored specifically to Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Sexually Transmitted Diseases (HIV/STD) risk reduction. The control program will deliver standard STD/HIV prevention messages. Participants will be assessed at baseline and a follow-up session 4 months after enrollment. Frequency of condom use and attitudes toward condom use will be assessed using behavioral scales.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

2622

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • Internet-Based, accessible from anywhere

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 25 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Has access to the internet
  • Has an e-mail address

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Colorado resident

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 Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Youthnet messages on Facebook
Participants will receive internet-based messages from the Youthnet program
Behavioral: Youthnet Internet-based program
Messages from the Youthnet program will be interactive and tailored specifically to HIV/STD risk reduction. Participants will be exposed to five flash computer vignettes of 30 seconds each, concerning condom attitudes, norms self-efficacy, and risk awareness.
Active Comparator: Messages on Facebook about current events
Participants will receive internet-based messages from the control program
Behavioral: Control Internet based program
The control program will deliver standard STD/HIV prevention messages.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Efficacy of Internet-based Program for Increasing Condom Use With Non-main Sex Partners
Time Frame: Month 2 post baseline
Month 2 post baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Efficacy of Internet-based Program for Increasing Condom Use Attitudes, Norms, and Intentions With Non-main Sex Partners
Time Frame: Month 2 post baseline
Month 2 post baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Colorado, Denver

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sheana Bull, PhD, University of Colorado, Denver

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

October 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2008

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 16, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 16, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

November 21, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 5, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2020

Last Verified

September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 02-0764b
  • DAHBR 9A-ASI
  • R01MH063690 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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