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

While increasing access to contraception is important, young people often face barriers to access prior to, within and after engagement with clinical care. The objective was to examine the feasibility of a pilot adolescent and young adult (AYA) birth control navigator program.

An online and in-person outreach strategy was launched in central Indiana starting in June 2023 to reach AYA outside of clinical settings and connect them to a trained navigator. Various communication platforms were used and a link to a validated contraception decision aid and barrier assessment was sent. After program support, AYA were invited to participate in a research cohort and complete a baseline survey.

The outreach strategy included social media advertising with 4,327,614 impressions and 30,210 clicks and 17 social media ambassadors with 96 posts. Of the 30 people who connected with the navigator, 18 (60%) participated in the post-programmatic research cohort. Participants had a mean age of 17.3 years (range 15-19), 33% identified as African American and 61% reported being sexually active. Addressed barriers included appointment booking (73%), access confidential care (67%) and support around transportation (30%). All participants (100%) reported that the navigator listened to them, provided helpful information, and made them feel comfortable. However, only 8 (67%) reported high-quality person-centered care was experienced during clinical encounters.

A human-centered designed birth control navigator pilot program can provide AYA's personalized assistance with overcoming barriers faced. Recruitment outside of clinical environments of AYA in a restrictive state was challenging, despite online outreach strategies.