Objective: This study examined the impact of implementation intention formation in reducing consultations for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing in young women.
Design: Teenage girls (N = 261) visiting a family planning clinic were randomly assigned to implementation intention versus control conditions and completed questionnaires at recruitment.
Main outcome measures: Objective measures of consultation outcomes were obtained from clinic records at baseline and 9-month follow-up (n = 200).
Results: Forming implementation intentions significantly reduced consultations for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing at follow-up compared with the control group (38% vs. 55%). There were also differences between the groups in consultation outcomes over time. For instance, whereas 31% of implementation intention participants changed from consulting for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing at baseline to consulting for contraceptive supplies only at follow-up, only 16% of control participants did so.
Conclusion: These results suggest that implementation intention formation is a simple yet effective means of promoting pregnancy prevention among teenagers.
PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.