Texting younger individuals about protected intercourse doesn’t scale back chlamydia and gonorrhea reinfection

Sending common texts to younger individuals who have not too long ago had a sexually transmitted an infection (STI) to encourage safer intercourse behaviors doesn’t scale back charges of chlamydia and gonorrhea reinfection, finds a trial revealed by The BMJ at this time.

In truth, the findings present that extra reinfections occurred within the group receiving texts than within the management group, prompting the researchers to name for rigorous analysis of well being communication interventions.

Charges of STIs resembling chlamydia and gonorrhea are highest in individuals aged 16-24 years.

Well being communications delivered by textual content message are low cost and efficient for some behaviors, resembling stopping smoking, and the World Well being Group (WHO) at the moment recommends digital well being communication for sexual and reproductive well being.

However a assessment on the results of sexual well being interventions delivered by textual content message discovered little prime quality proof, whereas the results on key behaviors resembling condom use, associate notification, and outcomes of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) had been nonetheless unsure.

To fill this information hole, a staff of UK researchers got down to measure the results of a sequence of textual content messages (“safetxt”) on charges of chlamydia and gonorrhea reinfection in younger individuals at one yr.

Their findings are based mostly on over 6,000 individuals aged 16-24 years recruited from 92 sexual well being clinics throughout the UK, with a current analysis of or therapy for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or non-specific urethritis between 1 April 2016 and 23 November 2018.

A complete of three,123 members had been randomly assigned to the safetxt intervention and obtained a sequence of textual content messages to enhance intercourse behaviors: 4 texts every day for days 1-3, one or two every day for days 4-28, two or three weekly for month 2, and 2-5 month-to-month for months 3-12.

An extra 3,125 management members obtained a month-to-month textual content message for one yr asking for any change to postal or electronic mail handle.

The researchers anticipated that safetxt would cut back the danger of chlamydia and gonorrhea reinfection at one yr by enhancing three key safer intercourse behaviors: associate notification at one month, condom use, and sexually transmitted an infection testing earlier than unprotected intercourse with a brand new associate.

General, knowledge had been accessible for 4,675 (75%) members, and traits resembling age, ethnicity, schooling, and sexual orientation had been related between the teams firstly of the trial.

At one yr, the speed of chlamydia or gonorrhea reinfection was 22% (693 out of three,123) within the safetxt group versus 20% (633 out of three,125) within the management group.

At 4 weeks, 86% of members within the intervention group versus 84% within the management group had notified the final associate they’d intercourse with earlier than testing constructive to get therapy.

Additionally at 4 weeks, 42% of members within the intervention group versus 40% within the management group reported utilizing a condom eventually sexual encounter, and this distinction was sustained at 12 months (34% intervention vs. 31% management).

At one yr, 54% of members within the intervention group versus 49% within the management group reported utilizing a condom at first sexual encounter with their most up-to-date new associate, however the variety of STIs was not lowered.

The proportion of individuals with a brand new associate and with two or extra companions at one yr was additionally increased within the intervention group.

The researchers acknowledge a number of limitations, together with the truth that males had been under-represented within the trial and that lots of their secondary outcomes relied on private reviews, which could possibly be influenced by social desirability bias (when respondents over-report “good” habits or under-report “unhealthy” or undesirable habits).

Nonetheless, they are saying the similarity of findings after additional sensitivity analyses is reassuring and means that their outcomes are sturdy.

“Our textual content message intervention was grounded in psychological concept, incorporating one of the best proof on well being habits change, but it surely didn’t have the results we anticipated,” they write. “In gentle of our outcomes, WHO ought to revise its endorsement of digital habits change communication for strengthening well being programs, to specify which matters and content material WHO endorses.”

Additional analysis ought to give attention to how you can scale back the stigma related to STIs to profit well-being, therapy, and precautionary behaviors for these with a analysis of an STI, with out rising the danger of an infection, they add.