Adolescent Behavior, Behavior, Sex, Sex, Unsafe
Conditions
Keywords
Peer-led, dating applications, young adults, sexual behavior
Brief summary
This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a program in promoting the safe usage of dating applications amongst young adults in Hong Kong. One group will receive the program regarding dating applications and the other group will receive a placebo program regarding health and exercise.
Detailed description
Dating applications are a popular platform to meet new people; however, they have been associated with risks such as unsafe sexual behavior and privacy concerns in young adults. The study design is an open-labeled cluster randomized controlled trial with an intervention and a placebo control arm. The intervention group will receive a web-based intervention developed through focus group discussions, crowdsourcing contest, and a Peer-Vetted Creative Production (PVCP) workshop comprising of four short videos, a risk assessment tool, and a scenario game. The control group will receive a web-based resource with similar multimedia elements on health and exercise. Based on the Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model, the primary outcome of this study is self-efficacy in using dating applications measured by the General Self Efficacy Scale. Secondary outcomes include change in attitudes regarding risk perception measured by the Risk Propensity Scale and depression symptoms.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALIntervention - Dating application topic
The intervention will consist of multimedia content to promote the safe usage of dating applications and raise awareness of the risks associated with dating application usage. The intervention will be delivered one-time in a classroom setting.
BEHAVIORALControl - Health and exercise topic
The placebo control will consist of multimedia content regarding exercise and healthy living. It will be delivered once-time in a classroom setting.
Sponsors
The University of Hong Kong
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
17 Years to 27 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 17-27 years old * Able to read and understand Chinese
Exclusion criteria
* Have a physical impediment (e.g. blindness) to prevent them from accessing the content
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self Efficacy: This Will be Measured by the General Self Efficacy Scale | 8 months | The primary outcome will be the self-efficacy on the safe usage of dating. applications among young adults in Hong Kong. This will be measured by the General Self Efficacy Scale. The General Self Efficacy Scale is a 10-item scale (with 4 level Likert scale ranging from not true at all to exactly true) measuring one's self-belief in completing certain tasks or overcoming difficulties. The total score is calculated by finding the sum of all items with the total score ranging between 10 and 40, with a higher score indicating a higher level of self efficacy. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Risk Taking Tendencies Will be Measured by the The Risk Propensity Scale. | 8 month | Participants' risk taking tendencies will be measured by the The Risk Propensity Scale. It is a 9-item scale measuring general risk-taking tendencies. Each item is rated on a 9 level Likert scale (ranging from totally disagree to totally agree) with the final score ranging from 1-9. A higher score indicates higher risk-taking tendencies. |
| Depression Symptoms Will be Measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). | 8 month | Participants' risk of depression will be measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). This is a 2 item scale (with a 4 level Likert scale ranging from Not at all to Nearly everyday) and the score ranges from 0-6, with a higher score indicating higher risk of depression. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Participant flow
Pre-assignment details
A total of 578 eligible participants (290 in the intervention and 288 in the control) participated in the study.
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Intervention The intervention materials were developed with high peer engagement and included four short videos, an interactive scenario game and a risk assessment tool. | 276 |
| Control An existing website promoting physical activities and healthy living was served as a control. | 266 |
| Total | 542 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | Lost to Follow-up | 14 | 22 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Intervention | Total | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Customized Age | 19.83 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.9 | 19.86 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.85 | 19.88 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.8 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 276 Participants | 542 Participants | 266 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 276 Participants | 542 Participants | 266 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment Hong Kong | 276 participants | 542 participants | 266 participants |
| Relationship Status Others (Dating, marriage or cohabitating) | 93 Participants | 189 Participants | 96 Participants |
| Relationship Status Single | 183 Participants | 353 Participants | 170 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 139 Participants | 318 Participants | 179 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 137 Participants | 224 Participants | 87 Participants |
| Sexual Orientation Heterosexual | 250 Participants | 490 Participants | 240 Participants |
| Sexual Orientation Others (gay, lesbian or bisexual) | 26 Participants | 52 Participants | 26 Participants |
| Types of housing Private Apartment | 107 Participants | 208 Participants | 101 Participants |
| Types of housing Public housing estates | 104 Participants | 186 Participants | 82 Participants |
| Types of housing Short interim | 5 Participants | 5 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Types of housing Student Hostel | 19 Participants | 48 Participants | 29 Participants |
| Types of housing Subsided housing | 34 Participants | 73 Participants | 39 Participants |
| Types of housing Villiages | 7 Participants | 22 Participants | 15 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
Outcome results
Primary
Self Efficacy: This Will be Measured by the General Self Efficacy Scale
The primary outcome will be the self-efficacy on the safe usage of dating. applications among young adults in Hong Kong. This will be measured by the General Self Efficacy Scale. The General Self Efficacy Scale is a 10-item scale (with 4 level Likert scale ranging from not true at all to exactly true) measuring one's self-belief in completing certain tasks or overcoming difficulties. The total score is calculated by finding the sum of all items with the total score ranging between 10 and 40, with a higher score indicating a higher level of self efficacy.
Time frame: 8 months
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention - Dating Application Topic | Self Efficacy: This Will be Measured by the General Self Efficacy Scale | 24.26 Score on a scale | Standard Deviation 5.48 |
| Control - Health and Exercise Topic | Self Efficacy: This Will be Measured by the General Self Efficacy Scale | 22.30 Score on a scale | Standard Deviation 4.69 |
p-value: <0.001Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney)
Secondary
Depression Symptoms Will be Measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2).
Participants' risk of depression will be measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). This is a 2 item scale (with a 4 level Likert scale ranging from Not at all to Nearly everyday) and the score ranges from 0-6, with a higher score indicating higher risk of depression.
Time frame: 8 month
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention - Dating Application Topic | Depression Symptoms Will be Measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). | 4.21 Score on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.46 |
| Control - Health and Exercise Topic | Depression Symptoms Will be Measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). | 4.05 Score on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.33 |
p-value: 0.19Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney)
Secondary
Risk Taking Tendencies Will be Measured by the The Risk Propensity Scale.
Participants' risk taking tendencies will be measured by the The Risk Propensity Scale. It is a 9-item scale measuring general risk-taking tendencies. Each item is rated on a 9 level Likert scale (ranging from totally disagree to totally agree) with the final score ranging from 1-9. A higher score indicates higher risk-taking tendencies.
Time frame: 8 month
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention - Dating Application Topic | Risk Taking Tendencies Will be Measured by the The Risk Propensity Scale. | 5.42 Score on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.23 |
| Control - Health and Exercise Topic | Risk Taking Tendencies Will be Measured by the The Risk Propensity Scale. | 5.59 Score on a scale | Standard Deviation 1.15 |
p-value: 0.12Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney)