Optimizing a Multi-Modal Intervention to Reduce Health-Risking Sexual Behaviors: Component Selection

Summary

The goal of this project is to evaluate the components of the app-based intervention Mission Wellness to reduce health-risking sexual behaviors (HRSBs; e.g., condom non-use, multiple sexual partners) in active-duty members of the US Military to improve their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and readiness to serve. Following the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) framework, factorial component selection experiments (CSEs) will be conducted to evaluate which five experimental intervention components (i.e., Narratives, Skills, Scenarios, Future, and Risk) elicit the greatest improvements in the outcomes of interest given key constraints.

Conditions

• Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Pregnancy, Unplanned
• Military Personnel

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Basic Education ("Education")

All participants will receive the basic educational component in the Mission Wellness app. This component will contain text and media (e.g., images, videos) to teach basic SRH topics. The exact information in this component will be determined by an assessment of baseline SRH knowledge at the start of the intervention.

BEHAVIORAL

Narrative Videos ("Narratives")

The narrative video component is a motivation-based component that includes stories of individuals engaging in positive and negative SRH behaviors that lead to either positive or negative outcomes, respectively, in a video format.

BEHAVIORAL

Skills Building Videos ("Skills")

The skills-building videos component is a component rooted in behavioral skills that involves the provision of information on how to perform or engage positive SRH behaviors (e.g., correctly using a condom, what to expect when having a Pap smear) via instructional videos.

BEHAVIORAL

Interactive Scenarios ("Scenarios")

The interactive scenarios are a behavioral skills-building component that walks through conversations surrounding SRH with select individuals (e.g., partner, healthcare provider), providing suggestions on how to have these conversations and why these conversations are important to have.

BEHAVIORAL

Future Life Planning Tool ("Future")

The future life planning tool is a motivation-based component contains a series of questions to help users plan future goals to put current decision making related to SRH into perspective and provide suggestions on how to stay healthy now to be able to achieve those goals later.

BEHAVIORAL

Epidemiological Risk Scenario ("Risk")

The risk component is an information- and motivation-based component with tailored epidemiological risk information about relative risk of contracting a specific STI and/or having an unintended pregnancy. Relative risk information will be determined by adjusting variables within the component (e.g., number of partners within the last month, percent of time using condoms).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Miriam Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Ryan R Landoll, PhD · Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

• Sara E Vargas, PhD · The Miriam Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-09-02

Primary Completion

2022-12-09

Completion

2022-12-09

Countries

• United States

Study Locations