Social Media Use and Sexual Risk Reduction Behavior Among Minority Youth

Abstract

Background Sexual health is an important area of study—particularly for minority youth and youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Objectives The purpose of the research was to examine the sources of sexual health information associated with youth adopting sexual risk reduction behaviors. Methods Data collection took place in a small city in the Northeastern United States using cross-sectional behavioral surveys and modified venue-based sampling. Participants included 249 African-American and Latino/a youth aged 13–24. Participants reported their sources of information about contraception and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted disease (STD), such as TV/movies, parents, social media; their intentions to have sex; and condom and contraception use during their last sexual activity. Social media use, past pregnancy experience, past sexual history, age, and gender were also measured. Standard tests of bivariate association (chi-squared and F-tests) were used to examine initial associations between sexual risk reduction behavior and exposure to sexual risk reduction information on social media. Logistic regression models were used to test multivariate relationships between information sources and sexual risk reduction behavior. Results Youth who were exposed to sexual health messages on social media were 2.69 times (p < .05) and 2.49 times (p < .08) more likely to have used contraception or a condom at last intercourse, respectively. Parents, schools, or traditional media as information sources were not significantly associated with contractive use or condom use at last intercourse. Discussion Youth sexual behavior is increasingly informed by social media messages. Health practitioners should utilize social media as an important health promotion tool.

Project GOLD: A pilot randomized controlled trial of a novel psychoeducational HIV/STI prevention intervention for heterosexually‐active black youth

“…This is similar to what others conducting research with racial/ethnic minorities have discovered (George, Duran, & Norris, ). With advances in social media and online research, innovative online strategies can be implemented to ensure that study samples include populations that may have difficulty attending in‐person study visits, as well as to deliver intervention content to these groups (Stevens et al, ). Such generation of new knowledge from underserved populations and convenient dissemination of effective intervention strategies to these groups may help to reduce HIV/STI disparities.…”

Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Neighborhood: A multi-method analysis of online discourse amongst Black and Hispanic Youth

“…The data for this study was taken from a subsample of a larger mixed methods study, with detailed methods previously published. 14,15 The original study included Black and Hispanic youth (n=247) who completed a behavioral survey at baseline and 12-month follow-up. Participants were self-identified Black and Hispanic(a) adolescents and young adults aged between 13 and 24 years (Mean=18.74, SD=3.07).…”

“…12 They also create, seek out, and are exposed to images and text that implicitly and explicitly model behavior and convey normative standards related to sex and substance use. [13][14][15][16] The digital neighborhood interacts with the geographic neighborhood and offline behavior. The question then is how do Black and Hispanic youth use their digital neighborhoods to have open discourse about sex and substances, risk taking and risk avoidance?…”

Sources of Sexual Knowledge for High School Students in Tokyo, Japan

“…Also, most of parent generation of contemporary Japanese high school students are 40's and 50's who can be categorized in two groups: ones who understand the mechanism and safety of the Internet well and master it, and the other ones who are not acquainted with. Numerous research studies on adolescent sexuality and sexual information have been reported in advanced countries including Europe and the United States (Strasburger, Wilson, & Jordan, 2009;Liliana Escobar-Chaves, Tortolero, Markham, Low, Eitel, & Thickstun, 2005;Bleakley, Hennessy, Fishbein, & Jordan, 2009;Stevens, Gilliard-Matthews, Dunaev, Todhunter-Reid, Brawner, & Stewart, 2017;Buhi, Daley, Fuhrmann, & Smith, 2009;Wartella, Rideout, Zupancic, Beaudoin-Ryan, & Lauricella, 2015). There are a few studies conducted in Japan but some reports that Japanese high school students nowadays acquire sexual information are not from parents, school teachers, and medical professions but from friends and Internet (Song et al, 2012).…”