One-Year Follow-up After a Pregnancy Prevention Intervention for LGB+ Teens: An RCT

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Sexual Health Education

Background:

• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority (LGB+) adolescent girls experience higher rates of pregnancy compared to heterosexual girls.
• Existing pregnancy prevention programs often lack inclusivity for LGB+ youth.
• There is a critical need for targeted sexual health interventions for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Girl2Girl text messaging intervention in promoting pregnancy preventive behaviors among cisgender LGB+ adolescent girls.
• To assess the sustained impact of the intervention on sexual behaviors and birth control use over 12 months post-intervention.

Main Methods:

• A national randomized controlled trial enrolled 948 cisgender LGB+ girls aged 14-18.
• Participants were randomized to the 5-month Girl2Girl intervention (daily texts, booster) or an attention-matched control group.
• Longitudinal models analyzed protected sex events and birth control use, adjusting for baseline rates and demographics.

Main Results:

• Girl2Girl participants demonstrated increased rates of protected penile-vaginal sex compared to controls.
• Participants in the intervention group were more likely to report using birth control methods other than condoms.
• While not statistically significant, trends favored the intervention group for abstinence and pregnancy rates.

Conclusions:

• The Girl2Girl text messaging program is associated with sustained pregnancy preventive behaviors in LGB+ adolescent girls up to 12 months post-intervention.
• Text messaging presents a viable and accessible method for delivering sexual health programming to adolescents nationwide.
• This intervention highlights the potential of technology-based approaches to address health disparities in sexual health for minority youth.