Usability of the "Be Yourself" IA-powered, chatbot-based website for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy.
Natanael Librado González, Dora Julia Onofre Rodríguez, Romeo Sánchez Nigenda and 3 others
PMID 41980243WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents liked the chatbot at first, but found it less usable after two months.
It provided confidential sexual health information, but the study did not show it prevents pregnancy or changes behaviour.
Key findings
01Immediately after first use, 81.1% rated usability as Acceptable and 18.9% as Good.
02At two months, 70 retained participants showed a decrease in perceived usability, with the median score falling from 62.5 to 57.5.
03Adolescents asked about contraception (28.6%), relationships and consent (19.4%), and sexually transmitted infections (16.3%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured only perceived usability, not safer sexual behaviour or pregnancy outcomes. Participants came from one public secondary school in Nuevo León, Mexico, and all chatbot interactions were local, so results may not apply elsewhere. Four participants did not complete follow-up. Usability was assessed after use, not during use. The study did not test whether the chatbot prevents pregnancy or changes behaviour.
Declared interests
The paper states there was no specific grant funding. It does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that the chatbot prevents adolescent pregnancy or changes sexual behaviour. It measured perceived usability after use, and usability decreased over two months.