Mobile phone for sexual health in youth
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN13212899 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13212899 |
| Protocol serial number | Protocol Version 1.9 |
| Sponsor | FORTE Swedish Research Council for Health, Working life and Welfare |
| Funder | Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd |
- Submission date
- 22/06/2017
- Registration date
- 22/06/2017
- Last edited
- 11/07/2023
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Urological and Genital Diseases
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Chlamydia trachomatis (C.trachomatis) is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. It is considered a major public health problem as it could lead to reproductive health issues such as infertility. It also increases the chances of getting the HIV infection. Secondary preventive strategies such as testing and treatment are important as they enable new cases to be detected and treated, interrupting the transmission chain. Many screening programs focus on secondary preventive strategies, alongside a varying element of prevention. Despite the recent focus on diagnosis and treatment, there has been a steady rise in infection rates among youth in Stockholm over the last two decades. However, primary preventive strategies such as condom campaigns, sexual education, and increased knowledge regarding STIs are equally, if not more, important in order to avoid new infections in the first place. A recent large population survey showed that a large number of youth reported not using a condom and did not use a condom with a new partner during their last intercourse. Staff in the Youth Health Clinics are stretched and therefore sometimes constrained with the preventive work they can do. Previous work from our research group has indicated that youth have varying level of knowledge and motivations to adopt safe sexual practices. C.trachomatis infection is highest in the youth, a group indeed familiar with and high consumers of mobile phone technology. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a smart phone application to increase condom use and reduce risky sexual behaviour to see if it can be delivered to large groups of youth in Sweden and elsewhere at a low cost and support the preventive work of the screening programs.
Who can participate?
Youth aged 18 to 23 who own a smart phone and are sexually active.
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group receive the mobile application called “"Skyddslaget”. This application provides information about sexual health and tips on a daily bases and send reminders to the users. Participants can use the application to complete challenges, quizzes, self-reflection and gain information about STIs and condom use. The application will include new activities for users. Participants in the second group receive a “dummy” or fake application. All participants are assessed before the study and again at three and six months with questionnaires to assess their sexual health habits and to compare the results between the groups.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants may benefit from the opportunity to reflect on their sexual behavior and this may help them engage in safe sexual practices. As sexual health is a sensitive topic, there is a risk that participants may feel uncomfortable.
Where is the study run from?
This study is being run by the Karolinska Institute (Karolinska Institutet) (Sweden) and takes place in eight youth health clinics in Sweden.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2017 to September 2018
Who is funding the study?
FORTE Swedish Research Council for Health, Working life and Welfare (Sweden)
Who is the main contact?
Mrs Anna Nielsen
anna.nielsen.1@ki.se
Contact information
Scientific
Karolinska Institute (Karolinska Institutet)
Department of Women's and Children's Health (KBH)
K6, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset
Kvinnokliniken
Stockholm
17176
Sweden
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-5189-6949 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +46 70 4078496 |
| anna.nielsen.1@ki.se |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Multicentre interventional pragmatic randomised controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | A parallel group, individually randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of a mobile phone application to improve sexual health among youth in Stockholm County |
| Study acronym | MOSEXY - TRIAL |
| Study objectives | The smart phone intervention designed to promote safe sexual practices will increase condom use and therefore reduce the rate of new infections, among sexually active youth in Stockholm County. |
| Ethics approval(s) | The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Board in Stockholm (EPN Regionala Etikprövningsnämnden i Stockholm), 26/08/2017, ref: 2017/651-31/4 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Sexually Transmitted Infection / Condom Use |
| Intervention | Participants are individually randomly allocated to one of two groups. The randomisation allocation sequence is generated using a central computer-generated random numbers and is stratified by sex. Intervention group: Participants receive the intervention in the form of a smart phone application called "Skyddslaget". The application delivers information and activities on a daily bases and users are reminded of the application by push-notices. The application includes things like condom-tips, self-reflections exercises, challenges, and information about sexually transmitted infections. The application will have one permanent part containing facts about STI and condoms and a second dynamic more interactive part. These include challenges and quiz, personal stories from peers, and self-rapport (elucidating ones behaviour in relation to sexual practices). Activities/information within each of these functions will be dynamic, i.e. change periodically over time such as activities. New information will be added in the application in a daily basis for 180 days. Participants are assessed at baseline and at follow up at three and six months to assess their sexual health. Control group: Participants download a dummy application that only contains the baseline and follow-up questionnaires at three and six months. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Self-reported condom use during the past six months is measured using the assessment questionnaires at baseline, at three and six months. |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Number of partners during the study period is measured using assessment questionnaires, at three and six months |
| Completion date | 30/06/2019 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 23 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 446 |
| Total final enrolment | 433 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Youth aged 18-23 2. Youth who own a smart phone 3. Youth who are sexually active (had at least two partners during the past six months). Added 16/10/2017: This criteria is to ensure youth included in the trial have recently had sex outside a stable relationship |
| Key exclusion criteria | Current exclusion criteria as of 20/11/2017: 1. Youth who do fulfil inclusion criteria 2. Youth who do not wish to participate 3. Women who only have sex with women will be excluded from the study as the interventions mainly focuses on safe sexual practices related to condom use 4. Close friend/sibling recruited into the trial Exclusion criteria as of 05/09/2017: 1. Youth who do fulfil inclusion criteria 2. Youth who do not wish to participate 3. Women who only have sex with women will be excluded from the study as the interventions mainly focuses on safe sexual practices related to condom use Previous exclusion criteria: 1. Youth who do fulfil inclusion criteria 2. Youth who do not wish to participate |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/09/2017 |
| Date of final enrolment | 18/04/2018 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Sweden
Study participating centres
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from [anna.nielsen.1@ki.se] |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/03/2021 | 05/03/2020 | Yes | No |
| Protocol article | protocol | 05/02/2018 | Yes | No | |
| Other publications | Development of the Mobile Phone App | 28/01/2020 | 11/07/2023 | Yes | No |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
11/07/2023: Publication reference added.
05/03/2020: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The total final enrolment was added.
10/08/2018: The recruitment end date was changed from 31/03/2018 to 18/04/2018
14/02/2018: Publication reference added.
22/01/2018: The overall trial end date has been updated from 30/09/2018 to 30/06/2019.
20/11/2017: The study protocol version has been updated from 1.6 to 1.9. The exclusion criteria has been updated and the protocol number have been updated.
16/10/2017: The scientific title has been updated from "A parallel group randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a mobile phone intervention to improve condom use among youth in Stockholm County" to "A parallel group, individually randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of a mobile phone application to improve sexual health among youth in Stockholm County".
05/09/2017: Exclusion criteria has been updated. Target enrolment has been updated- the small sites will recruit 44 youth (not 20 as previously stated) and the larger sites will recruit 60 youth (not 50 as previously stated).
