Phone program helps native teens avoid alcohol-related birth defects

This study tested a culturally adapted mobile health program called mobile CHOICES to help urban American Indian and Alaska Native young women (ages 16-20) prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancy, which can cause lifelong disabilities like Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Researchers recruited 439 participants through social media and measured whether the program reduced drinking and increased effective contraceptive use. The goal was to lower the risk of alcohol-exposed pregnancy in this high-risk group.