An Intervention Delivered by Text Message to Increase the Acceptability of Effective Contraception Among Young Women in Palestine

A Randomised Controlled Trial of an Intervention Delivered by Text Message to Increase the Acceptability of Effective Contraception Among Young Women in Palestine

This randomised controlled trial will establish the effect a contraceptive intervention delivered by mobile phone text message on the acceptability of effective contraception in Palestine. Woman aged 18-24 will be randomised to receive 0-3 text messages a day for 4 months (intervention) or a monthly text message not about contraception (control). Participants will complete a questionnaire at baseline and 4 month follow-up.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Contraception
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Contraceptive text messages; Other: Text messages not about contraception

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 586
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Palestinian Territory, occupied
  • Jerusalem, Palestinian Territory, occupied
    • Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 24 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18-24 years
• Own a personal mobile phone
• Not using the pill, implant, injection, intrauterine device or patch
• Live in the West Bank

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cannot read Arabic

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; Contraceptive text messages	Behavioral: Contraceptive text messages
Placebo Comparator: Control; Text messages not about contraception	Other: Text messages not about contraception

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability of at least one method of effective contraception	The proportion reporting that at least one method of effective contraception is acceptable (pill, intrauterine device, injection, implant, patch)	4 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Use of effective contraception	The proportion reporting current use of effective contraception (pill, intrauterine device, injection, implant, patch)	4 months
Acceptability of individual effective contraceptive methods	The proportion reporting that individual methods of effective contraception are acceptable (pill, intrauterine device, injection, implant, patch)	4 months
Discontinuation of effective contraception	The proportion reporting use of effective contraception at any time during the 4 months (pill, intrauterine device, injection, implant, patch)	4 months
Service uptake	The proportion reporting attending a sexual health service during the 4 months	4 months
Unintended pregnancy	The proportion reporting that they became pregnant and did not want to become pregnant during the study	4 months
Induced abortion	The proportion reporting having an abortion during the study	4 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Knowledge of effective contraception	Score on the knowledge measure	4 months
Perceived norms in relation to using and communicating with partners about contraception	Responses to the perceived norms scales	4 months
Personal agency in using and communicating with partners about contraception	Responses to the personal agency scales	4 months
Intention to use effective contraception	Response to the intention scale	4 months
Intervention 'dose' received	If participants read all, some, most or none of the messages and if they stopped the messages	4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Collaborators: International Planned Parenthood Federation; Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Caroline Free, PhD, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Palmer MJ, Henschke N, Villanueva G, Maayan N, Bergman H, Glenton C, Lewin S, Fonhus MS, Tamrat T, Mehl GL, Free C. Targeted client communication via mobile devices for improving sexual and reproductive health. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Jul 14;8(8):CD013680. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013680.
• McCarthy OL, Zghayyer H, Stavridis A, Adada S, Ahamed I, Leurent B, Edwards P, Palmer M, Free C. A randomized controlled trial of an intervention delivered by mobile phone text message to increase the acceptability of effective contraception among young women in Palestine. Trials. 2019 Apr 23;20(1):228. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3297-4.
• McCarthy OL, Wazwaz O, Jado I, Leurent B, Edwards P, Adada S, Stavridis A, Free C. An intervention delivered by text message to increase the acceptability of effective contraception among young women in Palestine: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2017 Oct 3;18(1):454. doi: 10.1186/s13063-017-2191-1.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 8, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 31, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): January 31, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 14, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): September 19, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 7, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2018
• Last Verified: September 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Reproductive health
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Reproductive Control Agents; Contraceptive Agents
• Other Study ID Numbers: 10831

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED