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Evaluation of SafeSpace: For Teens By Teens

The rate at which young people receive formal sex education is at its lowest point in decades. Today’s youth need innovative tools that provide foundational knowledge and skills to avoid unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, but many experience significant barriers to accessing basic sexual and reproductive health information—let alone information that is responsive to their needs. One potential avenue for innovation in delivering sex education is the use of mobile apps.

To determine the efficacy of a particular mobile sexual health education program, Child Trends, MyHealthEd, and Healthy Teen Network are conducting a five-year (2021-2026) randomized control trial evaluation of SafeSpace, an app-based sexual health intervention. Funding for this evaluation comes from the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) through the Personal Responsibility Education Innovation Strategies (PREIS) program.

SafeSpace is a 10-week program delivered via a mobile application adapted from Real Talk by MyHealthEd. The SafeSpace developers designed the program to provide youth a secure space to share personal stories and build health literacy. Users receive lessons several times per week that center around real youth stories about a range of topics, such as healthy relationships and accessing health care. Users are encouraged to complete a short reflection and to check out the resources provided at the end of each lesson. The information and resources provided through SafeSpace are intended to 1) illustrate positive health decision making, 2) correct misconceptions about adolescent sexual behavior, 3) provide evidence of peer approval for healthy decision making, 4) promote communication with parents, and 5) provide teens with opportunities to build communication skills around these topics.

As the evaluator, Child Trends is measuring the impact of receiving the SafeSpace program on several behavioral outcomes, such as:

Decreases in participants reporting recent penile-vaginal sex without a condom or a more effective method of contraception (primary outcome)
Increases in participants reporting they recently utilized sexual health services (secondary outcome)
Increases in participants reporting recent communication with a trusted person about sexual and reproductive health topics (secondary outcome)

The study has enrolled over 1,000 young people ages 14-18.

Study Activities

To complete this goal, Child Trends, MyHealthEd, and Healthy Teen Network are conducting the following study activities:

Plan for evaluation study: Key activities include identifying study outcomes, designing survey instruments, conducting cognitive interviews with young people, obtaining IRB approval for the pilot study, designing and programming the SafeSpace app, and setting up the logistical components needed to conduct an automated program and evaluation.
Conduct pilot study: Key activities include recruiting approximately 50 youth using social media ads, administering the 10-week program, collecting data at three time points, interviewing a subset of participants after they complete the program to identify areas for improvement, and identifying areas of improvement before the evaluation study.
Complete evaluation study: Key activities include recruiting 1,000 youth using social media ads, administering the 10-week program, collecting data at three time points, administering incentives, and retaining participants in the study over the course of a year.
Conduct analysis and dissemination: Key activities include analyzing survey data, reporting on performance measures, documenting study procedures, and disseminating impact analysis findings via products and presentations over the course of the five years.

Project Contacts

Evaluation leads

Elizabeth Cook, MSPH
Emma Pliskin, MPH

Implementation lead

Marisa Cervantes, PhD

Recruitment lead

Megan Thomas

Senior advisors

Jennifer Manlove, PhD
Riley Steiner, MPH, PhD

Evaluation and implementation support

Maeve Day
Ci’erra Larsen, MPH
Brittany Lee, MPH

Federal program officer

Katherine Godesky, MPH, MSW

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