Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Date Submitted: Dec 2, 2021
Date Accepted: Nov 25, 2022
Impacts of A Web-Based Social-Norms Edutainment Program on Sexually Violent Behavior and Bystander Behavior among University Men in Vietnam: The GlobalConsent Randomized Controlled Trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Sexual violence against women occurs worldwide. Prevention programs that treat men as “allies” and integrate a bystander framework are emerging in lower-income settings but evidence of effectiveness is conflicting.
Objective:
We tested the impact of GlobalConsent on sexually violent behavior and prosocial bystander behavior among university men in Vietnam.
Methods:
We applied a double-blind, parallel intervention-versus-control-group design with 1:1 randomization in two universities. Consenting heterosexual or bisexual men 18-24 years and matriculating in September 2019 (n=793) were enrolled and assigned randomly to GlobalConsent or AHEAD. GlobalConsent is an adapted, theory-based, six-module web-based intervention with diverse behavioral-change techniques and a locally produced serial drama. AHEAD is a customized, six-module attention-control program on adolescent health. Both programs were delivered to computers and smartphones over 12 weeks. Sexually violent behaviors toward women in the prior six months and prosocial bystander behaviors in the prior year were measured at zero, six, and 12 months.
Results:
Over 91% of men in both study arms completed at least one program module, and over 88% completed all six modules. At baseline, notable percentages of men reported any sexually violent behavior (GlobalConsent: 31.06%, n=396, AHEAD: 25.94%, n=397) in the prior six months. At endline (posttests 1 and 2 combined) compared to baseline, men receiving GlobalConsent had 1.26 times the odds of reporting a high level (at least two acts) of sexually violent behavior, and 0.67 times the odds of reporting any bystander behavior. The corresponding odds ratios for the AHEAD peers were less favorable, 2.67 and 0.45.
Conclusions:
Compared to a health attention-control condition, GlobalConsent has sustained favorable impacts on sexually violent behavior and prosocial bystander behavior among matriculating university men in Vietnam, who otherwise would face increasing risks of sexually violent behavior. GlobalConsent shows promise for national scale-up and regional adaptation. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04147455
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