Randomized Evaluation of a Multi-Component, Rights-Based Sexuality Education Initiative for High School Students

NCT ID: NCT02009046

Last Updated: 2018-11-29

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

1909 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2011-09-30

Study Completion Date

2014-05-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This study examines the effectiveness of the Sexuality Education Initiative (SEI), a comprehensive, multi-component, rights-based sexuality education program developed and implemented by Planned Parenthood Los Angeles for high school students. The primary goal of the SEI is to improve the sexual and reproductive health of youth attending Los Angeles high schools. The SEI consists of four intervention components: (1) a 12-session gender-sensitive, rights-based, comprehensive sexuality education curriculum, (2) a peer education and advocacy component, (3) a parent education component, and (4) clinical services linkages. It is hypothesized that the 12-session classroom curriculum is more effective than a 3-session control sex education curriculum. It is also hypothesized that the full SEI package (all four components) is more effective than the control condition (control curriculum and clinical services only).

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This study examines the effectiveness of the Sexuality Education Initiative (SEI), a comprehensive, multi-component, rights-based sexuality education program developed and implemented by Planned Parenthood Los Angeles for high school students. The primary goal of the SEI is to improve the sexual and reproductive health of youth attending Los Angeles high schools. The SEI consists of four intervention components: (1) a 12-session gender-sensitive, rights-based, comprehensive sexuality education curriculum, (2) a peer education and advocacy component, (3) a parent education component, and (4) clinical services linkages.

* The 12-session gender-sensitive, rights-based classroom curriculum covers anatomy, abstinence, contraception and protection, STIs and HIV/AIDS, media messages, gender, relationships, rights and responsibilities, pregnancy, sexuality, peer pressure, negotiation and coercion, and decision making.
* The peer education and advocacy component recruits, trains and supervises students through an after-school leadership program to serve as school-wide resources to their peers, organize health events at school, and refer students to school-based clinic services.
* The parent education component consists of a series of sessions for parents, covering reproductive health, teen pregnancy, and parent-teen communication, together with a parent education booklet for widespread use.
* The in-school clinical services component provides "clinic without walls" health services on campus, including pregnancy and STI testing, contraceptive consultation and prescriptions, condom distribution, counseling, and referrals. It also trains teachers and school staff to distribute condoms to students as needed.

The evaluation design involves two levels of randomization: First, all schools are randomized into one of two conditions: receiving all three SEI school wide components (peer, parent, clinical services) or receiving only one of these three school wide components (clinical services). Schools are randomized within matched pairs of demographically similar schools. Second, within each school, classrooms are randomized into one of two conditions: a basic 3-session sex education curriculum (control) or the 12-session SEI curriculum (intervention). Thus, all participating 9th grade students will receive at least three sexuality education curriculum sessions and access to on-site clinic services.

The primary research questions for the evaluation are:

1. Is the 12-session SEI gender-sensitive, rights-based sexuality education curriculum more effective than a 3-session comparison curriculum in reducing risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among high school students?
2. Is the full comprehensive program (all four components as a package) more effective than the two-component comparison condition (only the 3-session comparison curriculum and the clinical services linkages) in reducing risk of teen pregnancies and STIs?

The first hypothesis is that the 12-session SEI gender-sensitive, rights-based curriculum is more effective than the 3-session comparison curriculum in improving sexual health outcomes (as defined in section 7) among program participants one year after participation in the program. The second hypothesis is that the full SEI program (all four components as a package) is more effective than the comparison condition (only the 3-session comparison curriculum and the clinical services linkages) in improving sexual health outcomes one year after participation.

In addition to addressing these questions using the designated primary and secondary outcomes, this study will examine changes in the following short-term outcomes that measure critical concepts being addressed by the curriculum and serve as the hypothesized mediators in the SEI theory of change:

* Attitudes about rights in sexual relationships
* Communication about relationships, rights and sexuality with partners
* Communication about relationships, rights and sexuality with parents/ guardians
* Access to accurate information about sexuality and sexual health
* Knowledge about sex, sexuality and sexual risk protection
* Self-efficacy to assert sexual limits and manage risky situations
* Intentions to protect self from sexual risk
* Awareness of sexual and reproductive health services

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Pregnancy Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

SEI Classroom Curriculum

Participants receive the SEI classroom curriculum.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

SEI Classroom Curriculum

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive the 12-session Sexuality Education Initiative (SEI) classroom curriculum. The SEI classroom curriculum covers anatomy, abstinence, contraception and protection, STIs and HIV/AIDS, media messages, gender, relationships, rights and responsibilities, pregnancy, sexuality, peer pressure, negotiation and coercion, and decision making. These sessions are delivered over a two-month period. Each curriculum session is about 45 minutes in length.

Control Classroom Curriculum

Participants receive the control classroom curriculum.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Control Classroom Curriculum

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive the 3-session basic control curriculum. The control curriculum includes 3 sessions on sexually transmitted infections, anatomy and birth control delivered over a two- or three-week period. Each curriculum session is about 45 minutes in length.

SEI Curriculum + 3 School Components

Participants receive SEI classroom curriculum and three school wide components (peer advocacy and education, parent education, clinical services linkages).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

SEI Curriculum + 3 School Components

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive SEI classroom curriculum and all three school wide components. The peer education/advocacy component recruits, trains and supervises students through an after-school leadership program to serve as resources to peers, organize health events, and refer students to school-based clinic services. The parent education component provides sessions for parents of students, covering reproductive health, teen pregnancy, and parent-teen communication, together with a parent education booklet for widespread use. The clinical services linkages includes health services on campus, including pregnancy/STI testing, contraceptive consultation and prescriptions, condom distribution, counseling, and referrals. It includes training for teachers and staff to distribute condoms as needed.

Control Curriculum + 1 School Component

Participants receive control classroom curriculum and one of the three school wide components (clinical services linkages).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Control Curriculum + 1 School Component

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive control classroom curriculum and one of the three school wide components, the clinical services linkages. This component includes health services on campus for students, including pregnancy and STI testing, contraceptive consultation and prescriptions, condom distribution, counseling, and referrals. It also includes training for teachers and school staff to distribute condoms to students as needed.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

SEI Classroom Curriculum

Participants receive the 12-session Sexuality Education Initiative (SEI) classroom curriculum. The SEI classroom curriculum covers anatomy, abstinence, contraception and protection, STIs and HIV/AIDS, media messages, gender, relationships, rights and responsibilities, pregnancy, sexuality, peer pressure, negotiation and coercion, and decision making. These sessions are delivered over a two-month period. Each curriculum session is about 45 minutes in length.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Control Classroom Curriculum

Participants receive the 3-session basic control curriculum. The control curriculum includes 3 sessions on sexually transmitted infections, anatomy and birth control delivered over a two- or three-week period. Each curriculum session is about 45 minutes in length.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

SEI Curriculum + 3 School Components

Participants receive SEI classroom curriculum and all three school wide components. The peer education/advocacy component recruits, trains and supervises students through an after-school leadership program to serve as resources to peers, organize health events, and refer students to school-based clinic services. The parent education component provides sessions for parents of students, covering reproductive health, teen pregnancy, and parent-teen communication, together with a parent education booklet for widespread use. The clinical services linkages includes health services on campus, including pregnancy/STI testing, contraceptive consultation and prescriptions, condom distribution, counseling, and referrals. It includes training for teachers and staff to distribute condoms as needed.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Control Curriculum + 1 School Component

Participants receive control classroom curriculum and one of the three school wide components, the clinical services linkages. This component includes health services on campus for students, including pregnancy and STI testing, contraceptive consultation and prescriptions, condom distribution, counseling, and referrals. It also includes training for teachers and school staff to distribute condoms to students as needed.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* 9th grade student at a participating high school in East or South Los Angeles
* Written parent/guardian consent and student assent to participate

Exclusion Criteria

* None
Minimum Eligible Age

13 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

16 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

University of Southern California

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Ford Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Public Health Institute, California

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Norman A. Constantine, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Public Health Institute

Louise A. Rohrbach, PhD, MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Southern California

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Constantine NA, Jerman P, Berglas NF, Angulo-Olaiz F, Chou CP, Rohrbach LA. Short-term effects of a rights-based sexuality education curriculum for high-school students: a cluster-randomized trial. BMC Public Health. 2015 Mar 26;15:293. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1625-5.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 25886554 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

04704-01-01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Evaluation of Stepping Stones
NCT06574217 RECRUITING NA