Text-messaging to enhance an effective teen pregnancy prevention project

Introduction Effective teen pregnancy prevention programs are limited by the numbers of people they can reach and lack of sustainability. We wish to enhance effective programs with supplemental text messaging reinforcing and intensifying program effects. Methods In this four year intervention, we are partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver to deliver Wyman's Teen Outreach Program (TOP®) with 32 groups, 8 groups each year. We select four groups at random each year and deliver a supplemental program of text messages to enhance program components. We reviewed two years of pre and post data on sexual risk and school performance comparing those with standard TOP® to those with TOP® plus text messaging enhancement. Results We have enrolled 458 participants aged 14-18 across 16 clubs; participants are primarily Latino and African American. Results from the first year of program implementation (to be updated) indicate that those with the text message enhanced program had fewer instances of sexual activity at nine-month follow up compared to baseline and to those enrolled in TOP® alone (intervention 73% baseline, 68% follow-up; control 68% baseline, 76% follow-up) and greater declines in non-use of contraception (intervention baseline 27%, follow-up 23%, control baseline 24% vs. follow-up 24%). Conclusions Interim findings suggest the text message enhancement of TOP® could facilitate greater program effects for those with high risk for teen pregnancy than standard TOP®. Having low-cost, easy to implement and replicate opportunities to intensify effects for participants who likely face challenges in attendance and continuity is promising.