A community-based intervention designed to increase preventive health care seeking among adolescents: the Gonorrhea Community Action Project.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention designed to increase preventive health care seeking among adolescents.


METHODS
Adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 21 years, recruited from community-based organizations in 2 different communities, were randomized into either a 3-session intervention or a control condition. We estimated outcomes from 3-month follow-up data using logistic and ordinary least squares regression.


RESULTS
Female intervention participants were significantly more likely than female control participants to have scheduled a health care appointment (odds ratio [OR]=3.04), undergone a checkup (OR=2.87), and discussed with friends or family members the importance of undergoing a checkup (OR=4.5). There were no differences between male intervention and male control participants in terms of outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
This theory-driven, community-based group intervention significantly increased preventive health care seeking among female adolescents. Further research is needed, however, to identify interventions that will produce successful outcomes among male adolescents.
VanDevanter
Nancy L
NL
Center for Applied Public Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10032, USA. nlv1@columbia.edu
Messeri
Peter
P
Middlestadt
Susan E
SE
Bleakley
Amy
A
Merzel
Cheryl R
CR
Hogben
Matthew
M
Ledsky
Rebecca
R
Malotte
C Kevin
CK
Cohall
Renee M
RM
Gift
Thomas L
TL
St Lawrence
Janet S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D016896:Treatment Outcome