The Hookup: Collaborative Evaluation of a Youth Sexual Health Program Using Text Messaging Technology

Abstract

BackgroundThe Hookup is a collaborative project reaching young people in California with valuable sexual and reproductive health information and linkage to local resources. Due to limited access to subscriber contact information, it has been a challenge to evaluate the program.ObjectiveThe aims of this study were to determine the feasibility of using text messaging (short message service, SMS) as an evaluation tool for an educational text message-based program and to evaluate the program itself.MethodsAll subscribers of The Hookup were sent four survey questions via SMS about age, gender, location, referral source and behavior change. An incentive was offered for completing the survey and an opt-out option was provided in the initial message.ResultsAll existing subscribers of The Hookup (N=2477) received a request to complete the survey using the SMS application on their mobile phones. A total of 832 (33.6%) subscribers responded to the initial question and 481 (20%) answered all four questions. Of the responses, 85% were received in the first two hours of the initial request. Respondents who answered the question about behavior change, 90% reported having made some positive change since subscribing to Hookup, including getting tested for STDs and HIV.ConclusionsThe survey methodology initiated a high response rate from The Hookup subscribers. The survey was able to provide data about subscribers in a short time period at minimal cost. The results show potential for using mobile SMS applications to evaluate SMS campaigns. The findings also support using SMS to provide young people with sexual health prevention messaging and linkage to health services.

Puberty Education in a Global Context: Knowledge Gaps, Opportunities, and Implications for Policy

“…Roughly one fifth (21%) of U.S. adolescents say they have downloaded health‐related mobile apps and 7 percent saying they changed their behavior because of using a mobile app (Wartella et al., ). Examples might include phone applications such as those used in sexual education (Sheoran, Braun, Gaarde, & Levine, ), menstrual period tracking (McCartney, ), or pregnancy applications where a tip or bit of information is given daily (Lupton, ). Furthermore, computer games or phone apps could be created that focus on making healthy choices and avoiding puberty pitfalls such as acne, poor body image, or stress.…”

Youth, Technology, and HIV: Recent Advances and Future Directions

“…of the responses, 98% were received in the first 24 hours of the initial request) providing some evidence for feasibility of using SMS to gather response data from youth in a rapid, cost-effective manner. The low completion rate (19.5%) highlights the need to consider additional mechanisms to increase engagement (58). …”

The Medium and the Message: Fitting Sound Health Promotion Methodology Into 160 Characters

“…Through mixing technologies and approaches, it may be possible to reach different people who do not normally engage in research. The Hookup ’s recruitment approach was opt-in, via text messages [ 3 ]. They advertised the service widely at schools, adolescent health centers, and online but had no direct contact with potential participants.…”

“…Sheoran et al report that The Hookup project was successful, with 90% of respondents reporting a positive change to their behavior such as testing for sexually transmitted infection (STI) or condom use [ 3 ]. This work supports the findings of several previous trials and reviews [ 4 , 5 , 14 - 17 ].…”

“…There are now 96 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people on the planet [ 1 ], and text messaging (SMS, short message service) remains one of the most common uses of mobile phones, particularly for young people in the United States [ 2 ]. Consequently, text messaging is being increasingly used as a health promotion tool, as highlighted recently by Sheoran et al in the Journal of Medical Internet Research [ 3 ]. As technologies develop and projects in this field proliferate, it is vital that quality research continues to be conducted to maximize the quality of interventions, to refine the methods used, and to evaluate impact.…”