Childbearing, DelayedNCT05026619
Youth Outlook on Life Opportunities Study
A study testing Information about age-related fertility, Information about policy initiatives and Information about diabetes in people with Childbearing, Delayed and Marriage Age, run by National University of Singapore at 1 site in Singapore.
Trial summary
Singapore's fertility rate is currently below 1.2, raising concerns about population ageing and long-term sustainability. The fertility decline is characterized by falling birth rates among women in their 20s with almost no recuperation among women in their 30s. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 20 to 24 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Childbearing, Delayed, Marriage Age, Educational Problems
- What is being tested?
- Information about age-related fertility, Information about policy initiatives and Information about diabetes
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 1,000 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSingapore
- Study dates
- 21 Sep 2021to Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 20 to 24 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Full-time NUS undergraduate
- Singaporean citizen
- Aged 20-24
- Never been married
- Childless and not currently expecting
- Identify as heterosexual
Who cannot join
- Student enrolled in faculty where the Dean has not provided approval for recruitment
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Singapore's fertility rate is currently below 1.2, raising concerns about population ageing and long-term sustainability. The fertility decline is characterized by falling birth rates among women in their 20s with almost no recuperation among women in their 30s. This project explores a) whether informational imperfections help to account for high intended ages at childbearing in Singapore, b) whether informational interventions significantly affect ideal and expected ages at marriage and childbearing, and expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, and c) whether informational interventions significantly affect expected and actual educational outcomes and labor market outcomes.
Our hypotheses are:
- University students have knowledge gaps about age-related onset of infertility, assisted reproductive technologies and local policy initiatives related to age at marriage and childbearing, especially among male students.
- Being exposed to accurate information in these domains leads to significantly lower ideal/expected ages at marriage and childbearing, and higher expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, immediately after the intervention.
- Being exposed to accurate information in these domains does not lead to lower educational and labor market expectations immediately after the intervention among either male or female students, or to significant differences in module choices, Cumulative Average Point (CAP), starting salary and employment status of university students in the following academic semester and six months after graduation, among either male or female students.
Read the detailed description
The project conducts a randomized controlled trial involving 1000 full-time undergraduate students at NUS. The trial has three stages.
In the first stage, participants will be recruited through campus advertisements.
In the second stage, participants who meet the eligibility criteria will complete a 30-40 minute online survey. The survey includes the following:
- a background survey on items including age, race, family income and parental background,
- a section on dating history,
- questions on ideal/expected ages at marriage, expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, and fertility and educational and career expectations,
- a section on mental wellbeing,
- an awareness survey on age-related onset of infertility, assisted reproductive technologies, and local policy initiatives related to age at marriage and childbearing,
- an informational intervention. One-third of participants (333 individuals) are randomly assigned to receive accurate information on the age-related fertility survey items. One-third of participants (333 individuals) are randomly assigned to receive accurate information on policy-related survey items. One-third of participants (334 individuals) receives a fact sheet on diabetes in Singapore. Participants are asked to read the information thoroughly,
- selected questions from c), which collects data on after-intervention intended ages at marriage and fertility and educational and career expectations, as well as questions about whether the questions were useful or led to anxiety.
In the third stage, the students' responses are linked to the Educational Data Lake managed by ALSET, Provost's Office, NUS, which collects data on students' module choices (whether within the same major, in a different major within the same faculty or in a different faculty) and CAP in the following academic semester and at graduation, graduation status, and starting salary and employment status six months after graduation. All participants are informed and these linkages are mentioned in the consent form.
After the data collection is completed, we will analyse the data using a difference-in-differences econometric model. Our model compares three sets of dependent variables at different points in time:
- Ideal/expected ages at marriage and fertility, expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, and educational and career expectations, compared before and immediately after the intervention,
- Module choices and CAP, compared before the survey and in the following academic semester and at graduation, and graduation status,
- Starting salary and employment status, compared between the control and treatment groups six months after graduation (multiple regression rather than difference-in-differences model)
The results are compared by gender, faculty, educational and career expectations, and other background characteristics, including dating history and mental wellbeing.
- Conditions
- Childbearing, Delayed, Marriage Age, Educational Problems, Anxiety, Age Related Female Infertility
- Being tested
- Information about age-related fertility, Information about policy initiatives, Information about diabetes
- Medical subject headings
- Reproductive Behavior, Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Information about age-related fertilityOther
The following information is provided:
Age and fertility IVF success rates and side effects
Information about policy initiativesOther
The following information is provided:
Assisted reproductive technology treatment subsidies Other fertility-related policies
Information about diabetesOther
The following information is provided:
Diabetes risk factors and treatment Diabetes-related policies
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Placebo comparator | Receives a fact sheet on diabetes in Singapore Receives: Other: Information about diabetes |
| Fertility-related information | Experimental | Receives accurate information on age-related fertility Receives: Other: Information about age-related fertility |
| Policy-related information | Experimental | Receives accurate information on local policy initiatives related to age at marriage and childbearing Receives: Other: Information about policy initiatives |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Ideal age at marriage (both self and future spouse), first birth and number of children
During initial survey: Continuous
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected age at marriage (both self and future spouse), first birth and number of children
During initial survey: Continuous percent chance by the following ages A. 25 B. 30 C. 35 D. 40
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing (only for females respondents)
During initial survey: Continuous percent chance of social egg freezing if available at the following ages:
- 25 B. 30 C. 35 D. 40
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Secondary outcomes (11)
Expected levels of education (both self and future spouse)
During initial survey: Continuous percent chance:
- Less than Bachelor's Degree B. Bachelor's Degree or higher C. Master's Degree or higher D. Doctoral Degree or higher
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected earnings (both self and future spouse)
During initial survey: Continuous at the following ages:
- 25 B. 30 C. 35 D. 40
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected full-time working status
During initial survey: Continuous percent chance by the following ages A. 25 B. 30 C. 35 D. 40
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected occupation (self) at age 35
During initial survey: Continuous percent chance:
- Full-time homemaker B. Manager or administrator in a private company C. Manager or administrator in the government/education sector D. Professional without doctoral degree (e.g. engineer, architect, accountant, social worker, teacher) E. Professional with doctoral degree or equivalent (lawyer, physician, scientist, college professor) F. Sales (e.g. insurance agent, real estate) G. Other (e.g. small business owner, etc.)
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected contribution to housework and childcare if married with young children
During initial survey: Continuous percentage
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Usefulness and anxiety over information presented
During initial survey: Strongly disagree, Disagree, Neither agree nor disagree, Agree, Strongly agree
Measured: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Cumulative Point Average (CAP)
Measured in the following academic semester and at graduation
Measured: Within two years and six years of initial survey
Module choices
Whether within the same major, in a different major within the same faculty or in a different faculty, in the following academic semester and at graduation
Measured: Within two years and six years of initial survey
Graduation and honours
Whether graduated and class of honours
Measured: Within six years of initial survey
Employment status six months after graduation
Whether employed, full-time status
Measured: Within six years of initial survey
Starting salary
Continuous
Measured: Within six years of initial survey
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Aug 2021
- Study start21 Sep 2021
- Primary completion2 Oct 2021
- Study completionDec 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Childbearing, DelayedStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by National University of SingaporeThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 1,000 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National University of Singapore
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Poh Lin Tan, National University of Singapore
- Investigators
- Poh Lin Tan, PhD, Principal investigator, National University of Singapore
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05026619
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NUS-IRB-2020-362
- Status last verified
- Nov 2024
- First submitted
- 16 Aug 2021
- Last updated
- 13 Nov 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The collected data, data catalogue and research materials (i.e. study protocol, informed consent form, survey items) will be made available to researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) through the ALSET Data Lake within five years of the conclusion of the research project. Data will remain available for at least 10 years after any publication making use of the data. The ALSET Data Lake is managed by the NUS Instituted for Applied Learning Sciences and Educational Technology and operated by NUS IT. Questions about accessing the data from parties outside NUS can be sent to the PI or alsdl@nus.edu.sg.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Nov 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Youth Outlook on Life Opportunities Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05026619
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NUS-IRB-2020-362
- Conditions
- Childbearing, Delayed, Marriage Age, Educational Problems, Anxiety, Age Related Female Infertility
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 1,000 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- National University of SingaporeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 21 Sep 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 2 Oct 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- Dec 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Aug 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Singapore's fertility rate is currently below 1.2, raising concerns about population ageing and long-term sustainability. The fertility decline is characterized by falling birth rates among women in their 20s with almost no recuperation among women in their 30s. This project explores a) whether informational imperfections help to account for high intended ages at childbearing in Singapore, b) whether informational interventions significantly affect ideal and expected ages at marriage and childbearing, and expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, and c) whether informational interventions significantly affect expected and actual educational outcomes and labor market outcomes.
Our hypotheses are:
- University students have knowledge gaps about age-related onset of infertility, assisted reproductive technologies and local policy initiatives related to age at marriage and childbearing, especially among male students.
- Being exposed to accurate information in these domains leads to significantly lower ideal/expected ages at marriage and childbearing, and higher expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, immediately after the intervention.
- Being exposed to accurate information in these domains does not lead to lower educational and labor market expectations immediately after the intervention among either male or female students, or to significant differences in module choices, Cumulative Average Point (CAP), starting salary and employment status of university students in the following academic semester and six months after graduation, among either male or female students.
Detailed description
The project conducts a randomized controlled trial involving 1000 full-time undergraduate students at NUS. The trial has three stages.
In the first stage, participants will be recruited through campus advertisements.
In the second stage, participants who meet the eligibility criteria will complete a 30-40 minute online survey. The survey includes the following:
- a background survey on items including age, race, family income and parental background,
- a section on dating history,
- questions on ideal/expected ages at marriage, expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, and fertility and educational and career expectations,
- a section on mental wellbeing,
- an awareness survey on age-related onset of infertility, assisted reproductive technologies, and local policy initiatives related to age at marriage and childbearing,
- an informational intervention. One-third of participants (333 individuals) are randomly assigned to receive accurate information on the age-related fertility survey items. One-third of participants (333 individuals) are randomly assigned to receive accurate information on policy-related survey items. One-third of participants (334 individuals) receives a fact sheet on diabetes in Singapore. Participants are asked to read the information thoroughly,
- selected questions from c), which collects data on after-intervention intended ages at marriage and fertility and educational and career expectations, as well as questions about whether the questions were useful or led to anxiety.
In the third stage, the students' responses are linked to the Educational Data Lake managed by ALSET, Provost's Office, NUS, which collects data on students' module choices (whether within the same major, in a different major within the same faculty or in a different faculty) and CAP in the following academic semester and at graduation, graduation status, and starting salary and employment status six months after graduation. All participants are informed and these linkages are mentioned in the consent form.
After the data collection is completed, we will analyse the data using a difference-in-differences econometric model. Our model compares three sets of dependent variables at different points in time:
- Ideal/expected ages at marriage and fertility, expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing, and educational and career expectations, compared before and immediately after the intervention,
- Module choices and CAP, compared before the survey and in the following academic semester and at graduation, and graduation status,
- Starting salary and employment status, compared between the control and treatment groups six months after graduation (multiple regression rather than difference-in-differences model)
The results are compared by gender, faculty, educational and career expectations, and other background characteristics, including dating history and mental wellbeing.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Placebo comparator | Other: Information about diabetesReceives a fact sheet on diabetes in Singapore |
| Fertility-related information | Experimental | Other: Information about age-related fertilityReceives accurate information on age-related fertility |
| Policy-related information | Experimental | Other: Information about policy initiativesReceives accurate information on local policy initiatives related to age at marriage and childbearing |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 20 to 24 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Full-time NUS undergraduate
- Singaporean citizen
- Aged 20-24
- Never been married
- Childless and not currently expecting
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Student enrolled in faculty where the Dean has not provided approval for recruitment
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Information about age-related fertilityThe following information is provided: Age and fertility IVF success rates and side effects | Other | Fertility-related information |
| Information about policy initiativesThe following information is provided: Assisted reproductive technology treatment subsidies Other fertility-related policies | Other | Policy-related information |
| Information about diabetesThe following information is provided: Diabetes risk factors and treatment Diabetes-related policies | Other | Control |
Primary outcome
Ideal age at marriage (both self and future spouse), first birth and number of children
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
During initial survey: Continuous
Expected age at marriage (both self and future spouse), first birth and number of children
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
During initial survey: Continuous percent chance by the following ages A. 25 B. 30 C. 35 D. 40
Expected probability of undergoing social egg freezing (only for females respondents)
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
During initial survey: Continuous percent chance of social egg freezing if available at the following ages: A. 25 B. 30 C. 35 D. 40
11 secondary outcomes
Expected levels of education (both self and future spouse)
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected earnings (both self and future spouse)
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected full-time working status
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected occupation (self) at age 35
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Expected contribution to housework and childcare if married with young children
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Usefulness and anxiety over information presented
Time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey
Cumulative Point Average (CAP)
Time frame: Within two years and six years of initial survey
Module choices
Time frame: Within two years and six years of initial survey
Graduation and honours
Time frame: Within six years of initial survey
Employment status six months after graduation
Time frame: Within six years of initial survey
Starting salary
Time frame: Within six years of initial survey
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 Nov 2024.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The collected data, data catalogue and research materials (i.e. study protocol, informed consent form, survey items) will be made available to researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) through the ALSET Data Lake within five years of the conclusion of the research project. Data will remain available for at least 10 years after any publication making use of the data. The ALSET Data Lake is managed by the NUS Instituted for Applied Learning Sciences and Educational Technology and operated by NUS IT. Questions about accessing the data from parties outside NUS can be sent to the PI or alsdl@nus.edu.sg.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Poh Lin Tan, PhD principal investigator
National University of Singapore
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Information about age-related fertility, Information about policy initiatives and Information about diabetes in people with Childbearing, Delayed and Marriage Age, run by National University of Singapore at 1 site in Singapore.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Nov 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Singapore. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Ideal age at marriage (both self and future spouse), first birth and number of children (time frame: Within one year and two years of initial survey). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Nov 2024.