An Electronic Sexual Health Module for Hospitalized Adolescent Girls

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Sexual Health
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Adolescent girls in hospital settings have unique sexual health needs.
• Assessing the acceptability and feasibility of digital health tools is crucial for improving access to sexual health services.
• Understanding factors influencing service uptake among hospitalized adolescents is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of an electronic sexual health module for inpatient adolescent girls.
• To assess the preliminary effect of the module on the uptake of sexual health services.
• To examine the influence of tailored feedback, risk perception, age, and sexual activity on service requests.

Main Methods:

• Recruited adolescent girls aged 14-18 admitted to a pediatric hospital.
• Participants completed an electronic module including a sexual health assessment and service request questionnaire.
• Tailored feedback was randomized for half the participants; completion rates and service requests were analyzed.

Main Results:

• High enrollment (77%) and 100% completion rates demonstrated feasibility and acceptability.
• 53% of participants requested sexual health services, with contraception videos being the most requested (83% of requesters).
• No significant difference in service requests was found between groups receiving tailored feedback or not; younger and less sexually experienced participants requested services similarly to older/experienced peers, except for STI testing.

Conclusions:

• A standardized electronic sexual health module is feasible and acceptable for inpatient adolescent girls.
• Adolescent health videos are of particular interest to this population.
• Further research is needed to investigate the long-term impact of such modules on sexual health behaviors.