This is a pretest-posttest feasibility study of Media Aware Sexual Health - High School, an interactive web-based comprehensive sexual health media literacy education program for high school students. The program is designed to develop students' critical thinking skills and promote sexual health. It is hypothesized that this program will enhance adolescents' media literacy skills, sexual health knowledge, cognitions (i.e., attitudes, self-efficacy, and norms), and behaviors regarding healthy sexual decision-making.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
367
Media Aware Sexual Health is a web-based comprehensive sexual health education program for high school students that uses a media literacy approach.
innovation Research & Training
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Change in willingness to engage in unprotected sex
4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) assessing the degree to which one is willing to engage in unprotected sex (Suppose you were with a boyfriend/girlfriend. He/she wants to have sex, but neither of you have any form of protection. In this situation, how willing would you be to go ahead and hook-up anyway?).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Change in willingness to hook up against own wishes
4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) assessing the degree to which one is willing to hook up with someone even if they are not sure that they really want to. (Suppose you were with a boyfriend/girlfriend. He/she wants to hook-up, but you are not sure that you want to. In this situation, how willing would you be to go ahead and hook-up anyway?).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Change in intentions to use contraception/protection
4-point Likert scale (not at all likely; unlikely; likely; extremely likely) assessing intentions to use contraception (e.g., if you were to have vaginal or anal sex, how likely would you be to use a condom?).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Change in intentions to engage in sexual activity
4-point Likert scale (not at all likely; unlikely; likely; extremely likely) assessing participants intentions to engage in sex in the next year (How likely is that you will have any type of sexual contact with another person (oral sex, anal sex, vaginal sex, or genital-to-genital contact) in the next year?).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Efficacy to refuse sexual activity
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4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) assessing participants efficacy to refuse sex (e.g., I could say no to someone who is pressuring me to have sex).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Efficacy to communicate before sex
4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) assessing participants efficacy to communicate about sexual health (e.g., I could talk with a boy/girlfriend about using condoms for sexually transmitted infection protection).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Efficacy to use contraception/protection
4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) assessing participants efficacy to get and use contraception (e.g., If I wanted to, I could get condoms or another form of contraception).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Intentions to communicate before sex
4-point Likert scale (not at all likely; unlikely; likely; extremely likely) assessing intentions to communicate about sexual health before sex (e.g., Before deciding to have sex, how likely would you be to talk to a boy/girlfriend about HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted infections?).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Sexual health knowledge
Participants are asked several multiple choice and T/F questions about sexual health.
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Norms - Frequency of teen risky sexual activity (%)
Participants are asked to indicate what percentage \[0% = no teens; 100% = all teens\] are engage in risky sexual activities (e.g., have sex with someone who is much older).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Norms - teen sexual activity (%)
Participants are asked to indicate what percentage \[0% = no teens; 100% = all teens\] are engage in sexual activity.
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Perceived realism of media messages
Participants are asked on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) the degree to which they agreed that teens on the media: 1) do things that average teens do; 2) act like average teens; 3) are as sexually experienced as average teens; 3) get pregnant as often as average teens; 4) get STIs as often as average teens.
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Perceived similarity to media messages
Participants are asked on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) the degree to which they agreed that: 1) The things I do in my life are similar to what I see teens do in the media; 2) I look like teens I see in the media; 3) I like the kinds of things that teens in the media like.
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Cognitive elaboration of advertisement
Participants are shown an advertisement and responded on a 4-point Likert scale (not much at all; a little; a good amount; a lot) the extent to which they: 1) thought about the ad; 2) spent time thinking about the ad; and 3) paid attention to the ad.
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Media Skepticism
Participants are asked on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) the degree to which they agree with several statements about media (e.g., Media are dishonest about what happens when people drink alcohol).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Teen Sex Attitudes
Participants are asked on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) the degree to which they agree with several statements about teen sex (e.g., it is ok for teens to be sexually active).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Risky Teen Sex Attitudes
Participants are asked on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) the degree to which they agree with several statements about teens engaging in risky sexually behaviors (e.g., I believe it is ok for teens to do use alcohol or drugs before or during a sexual encounter.)
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Teen Contraception Use Attitudes
Participants are asked on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) the degree to which they agree with several statements about teen contraception use (e.g., I believe if a teen is going to have sex, they should always use a condom.)
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)
Teen Sexual Communication Attitudes
Participants are asked on a 4-point Likert scale (strongly disagree; disagree; agree; strongly agree) the degree to which they agree with several statements about teen sexual communication (e.g., Before deciding to have sex, I believe teens should talk with their parents or another trusted adult).
Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately one week after pretest)