An interactive digital behaviour change intervention to decrease incidence of sexually transmitted infections among...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Health Interventions
• Sexual Health

Background:

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common in young people, with potential severe health consequences.
• Condom use for penetrative sex is inconsistent among youth, despite recommendations.
• Web-based STI testing services offer limited support for preventing future infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of conducting a future randomized controlled trial for the 'Wrapped' intervention.
• To evaluate the potential of 'Wrapped' in supporting correct condom use among young adults.
• To inform the design of a definitive trial for reducing STI incidence.

Main Methods:

• A two-arm, parallel-group feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a nested qualitative study.
• Recruitment from a web-based STI testing service in five English local authority areas.
• Intervention group received 'Wrapped' plus usual care; control group received usual care only.

Main Results:

• 230 participants were randomized; 75.7% returned a valid chlamydia self-sample at 12 months.
• Estimated 3574 participants needed for a future full trial, based on recruitment and follow-up rates.
• Participant demographics at 12 months showed some over- and under-representation compared to the sampling pool; no differential attrition by group.

Conclusions:

• A full-scale randomized controlled trial of the 'Wrapped' intervention is feasible.
• Sufficient numbers of young people use web-based STI testing to achieve the required sample size for a full trial.
• Strategies should be implemented to address demographic representation in future studies.