Acceptability and Feasibility of a Sexual Health Intervention for Young Adult Black Women.
Tiffany M Montgomery, Vickie M Mays, MarySue V Heilemann and 3 others
PMID 29777665WHAT IT FOUND
Young adult Black women found sexual health and diet/exercise text messages helpful and easy to receive.
The randomized study of 88 women tested whether the messages were acceptable and feasible, not whether they changed condom use or prevented STDs.
Key findings
01Both the sexual health text messages and the diet/exercise control messages were rated acceptable and feasible, with a mean score of 4.01 for the first 15 questions.
02Intervention participants reported watching a mean of 4.38 videos, but platform data made it unlikely that more than six participants watched all videos.
03The study did not test efficacy; the authors state that testing the intervention for efficacy is the next step.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not measure whether the messages changed condom use or prevented STDs. Participants were young adult Black women aged 18 to 24 who were sexually active, not married, and not trying to become pregnant, so results may not apply to men, other ages, other races, married women, or women trying to conceive. The acceptability and feasibility survey was created by the study PI and had only face validity, so it was not a previously validated instrument. Baseline pregnancy history differed between groups, and four intervention participants reported becoming pregnant during the study. Not all messages reached all participants: 77 of 88 received all messages, 7 had bounced messages, and 4 received text-only messages. Video links were often not viewed: platform data made it unlikely that more than six participants watched all videos, and self-reported video watching was higher than platform data. Messages were one-way, and some participants shared messages, which may have mixed the groups.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest or relevant financial relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that text messages prevent STDs or increase condom use. This study measured only whether the messages were acceptable and feasible; it did not test efficacy.