Engagement with a Text Message Booster to Extend a School-Based Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent public health problem with significant consequences for mental, physical, and social well-being. School-based programs have demonstrated modest but reliable effects on TDV-related outcomes; however, skills introduced in early adolescence may be less applicable as youth age.

This project was embedded within a larger randomized controlled trial conducted in spring 2018, in which students were randomized to receive either the Fourth R relationship-based intervention or a standard school health education curriculum. Five years after the intervention, a subset of adolescents originally assigned to the Fourth R condition (n = 666) were randomized to receive an 8-week text message booster focused on healthy relationships, safety, and help-seeking. Engagement metrics (e.g., enrollment, opt-outs, interactive responses) were automatically recorded via Mobile Commons, the secure platform used to deliver all messages.

Of the 666 youth randomized to the booster, 283 enrolled (42.5%) and 54 messages were delivered. Among enrolled youth, 140 (49.5%; 21.0% of randomized) interacted with at least one message (e.g., took the quiz). Forty interactions occurred only in response to the initial message (i.e., reply GO to start); the resulting 100 youth (35.3% of enrolled; 15.0% of randomized) demonstrated meaningful engagement. Depth of engagement varied: 36 interacted once, 16 twice, 14 three times, 10 four times, and 24 five or more times.

Findings indicate moderate uptake, with meaningful interaction among a subset of enrolled participants in a low-cost, scalable text message booster designed to extend the Fourth R curriculum into late adolescence. Lessons learned highlight the importance of timing, recruitment strategies, and tailoring content to developmental transitions. Future work should assess behavioral outcomes and explore adaptive or personalized booster models to strengthen long-term TDV prevention effects.

NCT02909673.