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Promoting Healthy Adolescent Romantic Relationships: Results of a Multisite, Two-group Parallel Randomized Clinical
Arthur H Owora1, Rebecca F Houghton2, John L Ferrand3
1Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana.
Summary
The "About Us" healthy relationships program did not significantly improve adolescent sexual behaviors or relationship skills. Exploratory analysis suggests potential school-level effects, but implementation challenges, including COVID-19, impacted results.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Public Health Interventions
- Sexual Health Education
Background:
- Positive adolescent romantic relationships and effective contraceptive use are crucial for sexual health.
- Interventions promoting healthy relationships aim to improve adolescent sexual behaviors, attitudes, and intentions.
- Understanding the impact of such interventions requires rigorous evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the "About Us" healthy relationships intervention's impact on adolescent sexual behavior, relationship communication, and conflict resolution.
- To compare the intervention group with a services-as-usual control group at 3- and 9-month follow-ups.
- To assess changes in behavior, attitudes, and intentions related to sexual intercourse and contraceptive use.
Main Methods:
- A multi-site, randomized-controlled trial involving seven high schools in California.
- Participants (14-18 years old) were allocated to the "About Us" intervention or services as usual (3:2 ratio).
- Data were collected at baseline, 3-month, and 9-month follow-ups.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant improvements were found in primary or secondary outcomes for the intervention group compared to the control group.
- Exploratory analysis indicated a higher increase in sexual activity in the control group versus the intervention group at 3 months.
- Sub-group analyses revealed varying intervention effects across school sites, with higher participation linked to positive trends.
Conclusions:
- The "About Us" intervention did not demonstrate statistically significant positive impacts on adolescent sexual health and relationship outcomes.
- Promising school-level intervention effects were observed, suggesting the need for tailored program components and delivery.
- Study findings were potentially influenced by implementation challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and non-classroom delivery methods.
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