Impact Evaluation of the Reducing the Risk Program

Last registered on May 08, 2018

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Impact Evaluation of the Reducing the Risk Program
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0000277
Initial registration date
February 21, 2014

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
February 21, 2014, 10:26 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
May 08, 2018, 4:27 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Mathematica Policy Research

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Mathematica Policy Research

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2013-08-01
End date
2018-04-15
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an adapted (eight-hour) version of Reducing the Risk implemented in a set of rural Kentucky high schools. We examine impacts on knowledge of contraception and STIs, attitudes toward abstinence and condom use, intentions to have sex, and sexual risk behaviors one and two years after receiving the program.

Registration Citation

Citation
Goesling, Brian and Robert Wood. 2018. "Impact Evaluation of the Reducing the Risk Program." AEA RCT Registry. May 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.277-6.0
Former Citation
Goesling, Brian and Robert Wood. 2018. "Impact Evaluation of the Reducing the Risk Program." AEA RCT Registry. May 08. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/277/history/29234
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Eight hour version of Reducing the Risk: Building Skills to Prevent Pregnancy, STDs & HIV. This program was developed over 20 years ago by ETR Associates to influence adolescent sexual and drug behaviors
Intervention Start Date
2013-09-01
Intervention End Date
2015-06-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Sexual intercourse in past three months [ Time Frame: 2-year post intervention ]
Sexual intercourse without a condom in past three months [ Time Frame: 2-year post intervention ]


Contraceptive use [ Time Frame: 1-year post intervention ]

Contraceptive use [ Time Frame: 2-years post intervention ]



Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Knowledge of contraception and STIs [ Time Frame: 1-year post intervention ]
Knowledge of contraception and STIs [ Time Frame: 2-year post intervention ]
Support for abstinence [Time Frame: 1-year post intervention ]
Support for abstinence [Time Frame: 2-year post intervention ]
Support for condom use [Time Frame: 1-year post intervention ]
Support for condom use [Time Frame: 2-year post intervention ]
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The evaluation’s primary objective is to test the effectiveness of an eight-hour version of Reducing the Risk on outcomes such as sexual initiation, condom and contraceptive use, number of sexual partners, and pregnancy. The evaluation will enroll youth in health classes in high schools in the Barren River and the Lincoln Trail regions of rural Kentucky. The 13 evaluation study schools will be randomly assigned twice – in summer 2013 and again in summer 2014. The study power therefore assumes a total of 26 randomly assigned clusters. Two evaluation cohorts of youth will be enrolled – the first in fall 2013 and the second in fall 2014. This study is being conducted as part of the national Personal Responsibility Education Program evaluation funded by Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
schools
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
26 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
2,400 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
estimated 13 schools treatment, 13 schools control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
New England IRB
IRB Approval Date
2013-07-23
IRB Approval Number
120160046

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
May 15, 2015, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
May 25, 2017, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
26 clusters (13 schools randomized twice, once for each year of the study)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
1,850 respondents to the final follow-up survey
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
The 26 clusters were evenly split between treatment and control (13 of each)
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials

Description
The adapted version of Reducing the Risk led to a sustained increase in students’ knowledge of contraception and sexually transmitted infections after two years, and a longer-term impact on sexual risk behavior had emerged for one subgroup of students.
Citation
Goesling, Brian, Joanne Lee, Robert G. Wood, and Susan Zief. "Adapting an Evidence-Based Curriculum in a Rural Setting: The Longer-Term Impacts of Reducing the Risk in Kentucky," Mar 31, 2018. OPRE Report #2018-27