Public health messages on social media websites could help reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Forbes reports (DiSalvo, Forbes, 10/9).
Study Details
For the study, University of Colorado researchers recruited 1,578 individuals between the ages of 18 and 24. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group or a control group.
The intervention group included 942 participants who received news from Just/Us, a Facebook community seeking to promote sexual health. The control group included 636 participants who received general news believed to be of interest to people in their age group (Medical News Today, 10/10).
Key Findings
The study found that after two months, 68% of participants in the intervention group said they had used a condom during their latest sexual encounter, compared with 56% of participants in the control group.
The proportion of sex acts that included condom use among participants in the intervention group was 63%, compared with 57% among participants in the control group (Forbes, 10/9).
However, after six months, the study found no difference in condom use between the two groups.
Comments on Findings
Sheana Bull -- professor at the Colorado School of Public Health and lead researcher of the study -- said that many young people do not have access to regular health care but that 73% of them use social media. Bull said, "Therefore, [social media] may provide a viable alternative to promote safe sex."
She added that the study is "a first step in considering how to reach the overwhelming numbers of youth online and how to maximize approaches to technology-based interventions" (Hodgekiss, London Daily Mail, 10/10).