A Pilot Study Using Text Messaging to Communicate With Adolescent Females in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Texting 2 Initiate: A Pilot Study Using Text Messaging to Communicate With Adolescent Females in the Pediatric Emergency Department (T2I)

The objective of this study is to develop and test an emergency department (ED)-based intervention which uses text messages to facilitate contraception initiation.

Our hypothesis is that adolescent females at high pregnancy risk who receive text message reminders and motivational messages that promote contraception and referral to the Family Planning Clinic are more likely to start effective contraception than those who receive standard paper-based referral to the Family Planning Clinic alone.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 14-19 years
• Sexually active with males in the past three months
• Presenting to the ED for a reproductive health complaint.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presently pregnant
• Too ill for participation per the attending physician
• Cognitively impaired
• In foster care or a ward of the state
• Does not speak English or Spanish
• Does not own a cellular or mobile phone with text messaging capabilities
• Used contraception at last intercourse and/or is currently using any "highly effective" or "effective" form of contraception (as defined by the World Health Organization)
• Does not live in Manhattan or the Bronx