Research question

What are the effects of using a fertility education chatbot, i.e. automatic conversation programme, on knowledge, intentions to improve preconception behaviour and anxiety?

Design

A three-armed, randomized controlled trial was conducted using an online social research panel. Participants included 927 women aged 20–34 years who were randomly allocated to one of three groups: a fertility education chatbot (intervention group), a document about fertility and preconception health (control group 1) or a document about an irrelevant topic (control group 2). Participants’ scores on the Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, their intentions to optimize preconception behaviours, e.g. taking folic acid, and the free-text feedback provided by chatbot users were assessed.

Results

A repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant fertility knowledge gains after the intervention in the intervention group (+9.1 points) and control group 1 (+14.9 points) but no significant change in control group 2 (+1.1 points). Post-test increases in the intentions to optimize behaviours were significantly higher in the intervention group than in control group 2, and were similar to those in control group 1. Post-test state anxiety scores were significantly lower in the intervention group than in control group 1 and control group 2. User feedbacks about the chatbot suggested technical limitations, e.g. low comprehension of users’ words, and pros and cons of using the chatbot, e.g. convenient versus coldness.

Conclusions

Providing fertility education using a chatbot improved fertility knowledge and intentions to optimize preconception behaviour without increasing anxiety, but the improvement in knowledge was small. Further technical development and exploration of personal affinity for technology is required.

中文翻译：

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使用聊天机器人促进生育意识和孕前健康：一项随机对照试验

研究问题

使用生育教育聊天机器人（即自动对话程序）对知识、改善先入为主行为和焦虑的意图有什么影响？

设计

使用在线社会研究小组进行了一项三臂随机对照试验。参与者包括 927 名 20-34 岁的女性，她们被随机分配到三组之一：生育教育聊天机器人（干预组）、关于生育和孕前健康的文件（对照组 1）或关于不相关主题的文件（对照组） 2）。参与者在卡迪夫生育知识量表和状态-特质焦虑量表上的分数、他们优化孕前行为（例如服用叶酸）的意图以及聊天机器人用户提供的自由文本反馈进行了评估。

结果

重复测量方差分析显示，干预组（+9.1 分）和对照组 1（+14.9 分）在干预后生育知识显着增加，但对照组 2（+1.1 分）没有显着变化。干预组测试后优化行为意图的增加显着高于对照组2，与对照组1相似。干预组的测试后状态焦虑评分显着低于对照组1 和控制组 2。用户对聊天机器人的反馈表明了技术限制，例如对用户的话理解能力低，以及使用聊天机器人的利弊，例如方便与冷淡。

结论

使用聊天机器人提供生育教育提高了生育知识和意图，在不增加焦虑的情况下优化先入为主的行为，但知识方面的改进很小。需要进一步的技术开发和探索个人对技术的亲和力。