Piloting a Birth Control Navigator Program for Adolescents and Young Adults in Indiana

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Young people face significant barriers accessing contraception.
• Existing clinical care models may not adequately address AYA needs.
• Innovative programs are needed to improve contraceptive access for adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a pilot adolescent and young adult (AYA) birth control navigator program.
• To understand the effectiveness of online and in-person outreach strategies for connecting AYA with contraception services.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to contraceptive care for AYA.

Main Methods:

• An online and in-person outreach strategy was implemented in central Indiana.
• Trained navigators connected with AYA outside of clinical settings.
• Participants received a decision aid and barrier assessment, followed by a baseline survey.

Main Results:

• The outreach strategy generated significant social media engagement.
• Of 30 individuals connected with a navigator, 18 (60%) joined the research cohort.
• Key addressed barriers included appointment booking (73%), confidential care access (67%), and transportation (30%).
• Navigators were highly rated for listening, providing information, and comfort (100%), but high-quality clinical care was less consistently reported (67%).

Conclusions:

• A human-centered designed birth control navigator program shows promise in providing personalized assistance to AYA.
• Recruiting AYA outside of clinical settings, particularly in restrictive environments, presents challenges.
• Further research is needed to optimize outreach and integration with clinical care.