Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Background: Most interventions to reduce unintended adolescent pregnancy have focused on females, but males also play an important role in pregnancy prevention. One step that male adolescents can take to prevent unintended pregnancy is to discuss emergency contraception (EC) with their partner. The emergency department (ED) plays an outsized role in serving adolescent patients with unmet reproductive and sexual health needs. However, a paucity of research has focused on engaging adolescent males in the pediatric ED to reduce unintended adolescent pregnancy in their partners. Objective: To assess knowledge of, communication with partners about, and perspectives on EC using a brief, cross-sectional survey of adolescent males seeking care in the pediatric ED for any chief complaint. Design/Methods: A cross-sectional REDCap survey of males aged 15-18 years is currently enrolling in two urban pediatric EDs with the goal of recruiting 300 participants. The study protocol was approved by the lead site’s Institutional Review Board, with an active cooperative agreement with the second site. We anticipate completing enrollment in January 2024, with data analysis to be completed in February 2024. Survey questions assess sexual behaviors and contraceptive use as well as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about emergency contraception. Descriptive statistics will be utilized to describe knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards EC. Comparisons of subjects based on sexual risk behaviors (never had sex, sexually active but no unprotected sex in the last month, or unprotected sex in the last month) will allow us to explore differences in attitudes and beliefs towards EC. Analyses will use X2 and Fischer’s Exact Test for between group comparisons of categorical outcomes and T-test or Mann-Whitney U testing (if skewed distribution) for between group comparisons of continuous outcomes. Regression analysis will be used to identify predictors of intention to discuss EC with a future sexual partner. Findings will inform reproductive health interventions geared at male adolescents in the pediatric ED.
