Planned Parenthood's Chat/Text program: Reaching adolescents with urgent sexual and reproductive health questions

Young people are increasingly utilizing mobile and internet technology to seek sexual and reproductive health information. It is essential to better understand how that technology can be used to meet their needs in accessing information and care. In order to capitalize on the ubiquity of technology in young people’s lives, Planned Parenthood developed a Chat/Text interactive internet and mobile technology program, targeted towards youth (15-24), particularly African-American and Latino youth.  This program allows young people to anonymously address urgent sexual and reproductive health concerns following unprotected sex when worry levels are high and there is imminent need to access care. The program is showing promising results with high levels of expressed intentions to undertake health-promoting behaviors after the interactions. We are about to launch an efficacy trial for of Chat/Text, to get further insight into how well this intervention is working to change relevant health behaviors, such as taking emergency contraception when desired, seeing a health care provider, or using an effective birth control method.

This presentation will include a description of the program, a look into the forthcoming efficacy trial, and highlights of the most recent data collected and analyzed (demographics of users and post-test results including change in worry level, intention to take next steps discussed in the conversation, satisfaction with service, and health center referrals). As technology takes on ever greater significance in adolescents’ lives, public health professionals must determine how to harness it to improve the sexual health of this population. Chat/Text is one such effort.