Computer-Assisted Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Facilitate Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Fitness Behavior Changes: A Randomized Trial for Young Men

Abstract

PurposeDespite recent declines, teen unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in the United States remain at levels higher than comparable nations. Initiatives to prevent teen pregnancy have focused primarily on female adolescents; how to effectively engage young men to reduce their risk of fathering a teen pregnancy has not been well studied. We proposed to adapt an innovative computer-assisted motivational interviewing (CAMI) intervention, originally designed and tested with young women, for use with young men, aged 15–24 years, to reduce their risk of fathering a teen pregnancy. This manuscript describes the design of a CAMI intervention for young men aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and improving fitness. MethodsThis randomized controlled trial will recruit 945 sexually active young men between the ages of 15 and 24 years from three health centers in New York City. Participants will be assigned by permuted block randomization to two study arms: one aimed at reducing involvement in unintended teen pregnancy (CAMI-teen pregnancy prevention) and the other at improving overall fitness (CAMI-Fitness). Except for topic, both intervention arms will provide four sessions of Motivational Interviewing coaching and use a mobile app to track behavior and set goals. We will assess young men's sexual and reproductive health behaviors and fitness at baseline, 12, 24, 36, and 64 weeks using a mobile device app created for the study. ResultsPending ongoing study. ConclusionsResults from the study are expected to enhance our understanding of the efficacy of CAMI to enhance young men's reproductive health and fitness behaviors.