title: Riboflavin, self-report, and serum norethindrone. Comparison of their use as indicators of adolescent compliance with oral contraceptives.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability of using the tablet marker, riboflavin, as an indicator of adolescent compliance with oral contraceptives, as compared with self-reports and more costly quantitative determinations of serum norethindrone levels. In a pilot study, a total of 31 urine samples were obtained from 11 subjects, aged 14 to 18 years. A follow-up study was conducted on 26 girls, aged 14 to 19 years, who were randomly selected from an ongoing study of oral contraceptive compliance. Subjects were given an oral contraceptive (Ortho-Novum 1/35), combined with 28 mg of riboflavin. In both studies, urinary fluorescence tests for riboflavin and self-reports were found to be significantly associated. In the follow-up study, both self-reports and urinary fluorescence tests were significantly associated with serum norethindrone levels. When the urinary fluorescence test agreed with self-report, compliance or noncompliance was confirmed by serum norethindrone levels in 90% of the cases. The findings suggest that riboflavin, combined with self-report, can be used as an accurate and cost-effective indicator of adolescent compliance with oral contraceptives.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009640:Norethindrone / Q000097:blood*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012256:Riboflavin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000652:urine*; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013607:Tablets
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D013607:Tablets; D009640:Norethindrone; D012256:Riboflavin