An interventional study of Reality Check and Physical Activity Attention Control in HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, sponsored by University of Pennsylvania. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 24 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-11-24.
Sponsored by University of Pennsylvania · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Among 13 studies in Sexually Transmitted Diseases by University of Pennsylvania — none open to participants now, 1 under way, none of them phase 3. Sexually Transmitted Diseases · University of Pennsylvania.
Among the 13 studies in Sexually Transmitted Diseases by University of Pennsylvania, this one is the 12th largest by enrollment, is the only one that started in 2016, is one of 11 with no phase, and was the 11th registered.
523 studies on the registry are indexed under Sexually Transmitted Diseases; 77 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 203 is below the median of 449 across 425 interventional studies indexed under Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Browse Sexually Transmitted Diseases studies →None of the 13 studies in Sexually Transmitted Diseases by University of Pennsylvania is open now.
Of the 47 Sexually Transmitted Diseases studies recruiting now, 29 (62%) set no upper age limit and 16 (34%) stop at 75 or younger; 22 take children under 18; 33 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 18 Years to 24 Years · all sexes · healthy volunteers too.
The full table on the hub →13 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
First in 2001; this study’s year is marked. 1 started in 2016.
Median enrollment 662 across the 13 interventional studies. Of the 12 that completed or were terminated, 6 (50%) have results posted.
University of Pennsylvania is the lead sponsor of 1,668 studies on the registry; 235 are open to participants now.
Of its 158 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 109 (69%) have results posted.
None of the studies under way reaches primary completion within a year.
Among the 13 studies in Sexually Transmitted Diseases by University of Pennsylvania, from their registry updates:
Nothing recorded among them since 2026-09-25.
African Americans have considerably higher rates of HIV infections than do White, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans. African Americans accounted for 59% of all diagnoses of HIV infection among youth (13-24 years of age) in the United States. Young African Americans also have disproportionately high rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Therefore, the broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify interventions to reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs among young African Americans. Entertainment-education refers to narrative interventions designed to change behavior while providing entertainment. Several studies have evaluated the impact of media content on HIV risk behavior. One study found that exposure to an entertainment-education based HIV testing campaign was associated with increases in HIV testing among sexually active teens 12 months post exposure. Similarly, a radio soap opera called "Twende na Wakati" became the most popular television show in Tanzania and was highly successful in reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom use. A narrative video intervention study in STI clinic waiting rooms in three U.S. cities found a significant reduction in STI re-infection among patients visiting during months when the video was shown compared with patients visiting during months when it was not shown. Although these studies show that entertainment-education can be a promising medium for behavior change, none of them evaluated the efficacy of a tailored online entertainment-education intervention specifically designed for African American youth. To address this gap in the literature, this study tested the preliminary efficacy of an innovative, theory-based HIV risk-reduction serial drama intervention, Reality Check, specifically tailored to young African Americans. We used a randomized controlled trial, allocating African Americans 18 to 24 years of age to Reality Check, or an attention-control intervention promoting physical activity. Each intervention was delivered as a series of videos streamed online and accessible via any Internet-capable device. Participants completed surveys online at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. We hypothesized that, Reality Check would reduce condomless sex during the 3-month post-intervention period compared with the attention-matched control group, adjusting for baseline of the criterion.
African Americans have considerably higher rates of HIV infections than do White, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans. African Americans accounted for 59% of all diagnoses of HIV infection among youth (13-24 years of age) in the United States. Young African Americans also have disproportionately high rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Therefore, the broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify interventions to reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs among young African Americans. Entertainment-education refers to narrative interventions designed to change behavior while providing entertainment. Several studies have evaluated the impact of media content on HIV risk behavior. One study found that exposure to an entertainment-education based HIV testing campaign was associated with increases in HIV testing among sexually active teens 12 months post exposure. Sabido and colleagues used "telenovelas" in Mexico to increase participation in a national literacy campaign and promote birth control use. Similarly, a radio soap opera called "Twende na Wakati" became the most popular television show in Tanzania and was highly successful in reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom use. A narrative video intervention study in STI clinic waiting rooms in three U.S. cities found a significant reduction in STI re-infection among patients visiting during months when the video was shown compared with patients visiting during months when it was not shown. Although these studies show that entertainment-education can be a promising medium for behavior change, none of them evaluated the efficacy of a tailored online entertainment-education intervention specifically designed for African American youth. To address this gap in the literature, this study tested the preliminary efficacy of an innovative, theory-based HIV risk-reduction serial drama intervention, Reality Check, specifically tailored to young African Americans and aimed at decreasing the frequency of condomless sex and promoting HIV testing among young adult African Americans. We used a randomized controlled trial, allocating African Americans 18 to 24 years of age to Reality Check, or an attention-control intervention promoting physical activity. Each intervention was delivered as a series of videos streamed online and accessible via any Internet-capable device (e.g., smartphone, laptop or tablet). This mode of delivery was well suited to young African Americans because high percentages of young African Americans own and use Internet enabled mobile phones as their primary way to consume online content. We recruited participants through Facebook and Instagram, flyers posted on college campuses, college mailing lists, and referrals from participants. Participants completed surveys online at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. We hypothesized that, Reality Check would reduce the frequency of condomless sex during the 3-month post-intervention period compared with the attention-matched control group, adjusting for baseline of the criterion.
523 studies on the registry are indexed under Sexually Transmitted Diseases; 77 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 203 is below the median of 449 across 425 interventional studies indexed under Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Browse Sexually Transmitted Diseases studies →University of Pennsylvania is the lead sponsor of 1,668 studies on the registry; 235 are open to participants now.
Of its 158 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 109 (69%) have results posted.
Compared within Sexually Transmitted Diseases, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Received streamed 13-episode HIV risk reduction serial drama, Reality Check, developed based on Social Cognitive Theory integrated with findings from focus groups and community advisory boards. Each character has a behavioral trajectory related to HIV. For example, one character modeled negotiating condom use with his partner when she was against it. Messages in the serial drama showed that the characters had normative support for HIV testing and condom use. One character modeled a mastery experience when she overcame her fear and got tested for HIV. Homophobia is addressed when a mother discovers that her son is gay. Over the course of the episodes, the interweaving storylines play out, with all the characters eventually achieving their positive goals.
Behavioral: Reality Check
Received streamed physical activity promotion videos designed to control for Hawthorne effects, including special attention, consisting of a series of 13 videos from YouTube on physical activity and exercise. The videos, selected to be appropriate for African Americans 18 to 24 years of age, were tailored to be gender specific and hence varied between men and women. The videos focused on the importance of physical activity, coping strategies for lack of motivation to engage in physical activity, and other challenges faced in becoming more physically active, provided specific knowledge and skills regarding how to engage in aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises, and model aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises in a variety of settings.
Behavioral: Physical Activity Attention Control
Frequency of condomless sexual intercourse
The number of times the participant had sex without using a condom in the past 90 days
Time frame: 3 months post-intervention
Frequency of condom use
Rated frequency of condom use in the past 90 days
Time frame: 3 months post-intervention
Consistent (100%) condom use
A binary variable indicating whether the participants used a condom 100% of the time during sex in the past 90 days
Time frame: 3 months post-intervention
Frequency of sexual intercourse
The number of times the participant had sexual intercourse in the past 90 days
Time frame: 3 months post-intervention
HIV testing
A binary variable indicating whether the participant reported being tested for HIV in the past 3 months
Time frame: 3 months post-intervention
Homophobia
Negative attitude toward homosexuals
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention
Homophobia
Negative attitude toward homosexuals
Time frame: 3 months post-intervention
AIDS-related stigma
Negative attitudes toward AIDS
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention
AIDS-related stigma
Negative attitudes toward AIDS
Time frame: 3 months post-intervention
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Ran from Sep 2016 to primary completion in Mar 2017, 6 months.
Of 172 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Sexually Transmitted Diseases, half reached primary completion within 32 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 47. This study's 6 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 182 studies reached it within 31 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 46.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases →