Citation

Suffoletto B, Akers AY, McGinnis KA, Calabria J, Wiesenfeld HC, Clark DB. J. Adolesc. Health 2013; 53(3): 387-393.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Electronic address: suffbp@upmc.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.04.006

PMID

23707402

Abstract

PURPOSE: To pilot test a text message (SMS) sex risk reduction program among at-risk young adult female patients discharged from an emergency department (ED). METHODS: A convenience sample of 52 female patients with hazardous drinking behavior and recent risky sexual encounters were recruited from an urban ED and randomized to the SMS program (n = 23) or a control group (n = 29). All participants completed a web-based questionnaire in the ED and at 3-month follow-up. For 12 weeks, SMS participants were asked to report whether they had a risky sexual encounter in the past week, received theory-based feedback, and were asked if they were willing set a goal to refrain from having another risky encounter. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of SMS participants completed all weeks of SMS reports, and noncompletion increasing from 12% on week 1 to a 33% by week 12. Three-month follow-up was completed in 56% of participants. In the intervention group, there was an increase in the proportion with condom use with last vaginal sex from 20% (95% CI 4%-48%) to 53% (95% CI 27%-79%) and an increase in always condom use over the past 28 days from 0% (95% CI 0%-22%) to 33% (95% CI 12%-62%). These changes were not statistically different from control participants. CONCLUSIONS: SMS programs may be useful to reduce risk for sexually transmitted diseases among at-risk young adults being discharged from the ED. Future trials should examine ways to improve adherence to SMS dialog over time and measure objective outcomes in a larger sample.

Language: en