Reaching youth where they're at: On their phones

Given their higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, African-American and Latino teens in the United States are in need of sexual/reproductive health education.  In order to capitalize on their use of technology and address these disparities, Planned Parenthood Federation of America developed an intervention to reach these teens on their phones.

Nine mobile tools were developed using the theoretical framework of adolescent risk behavior (Guilamo-Ramos et. al, 2008), which is based on multiple theories of behavior change. The tools combine the science of what helps young people to engage in healthy behaviors and what young people like to do online. Four tools for younger, non-sexually active teens encourage them to delay initial sex. Four tools for older teens, who may or may soon be sexually active, encourage them to use both condoms and another form of birth control when they do have sex. A ninth tool for teens of all ages encourages teens to explore their feelings and beliefs about talking with their parents about sex and relationships and helps them make a plan to initiate a conversation.

Technology is already a very significant part of the lives of adolescents.  Public health professionals must determine the best ways to use it to advance our aims of improving the sexual health of the population. This digital intervention is among the first to attempt this using theory and research to inform its development and with a focus on reaching adolescent African-American and Latino youth.