Using Social Media for Sexual Health Promotion
Author Information
Author(s): Judy Gold, Alisa E Pedrana, Rachel Sacks-Davis, Margaret E Hellard, Shanton Chang, Steve Howard, Louise Keogh, Jane S Hocking, Mark A Stoove
Primary Institution: Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Hypothesis
The study aims to examine the extent to which social networking sites (SNSs) are currently being used for sexual health promotion.
Conclusion
Social networking sites are being used for sexual health promotion, but the extent of their use varies greatly and most activities are not reported in scientific literature.
Supporting Evidence
- 178 sexual health promotion activities were identified through the review.
- 71% of the activities used Facebook as their primary SNS.
- Most activities were conducted by not-for-profit organizations targeting young people.
Takeaway
This study looked at how social media is used to share information about sexual health. It found that while many groups are using social media for this purpose, not many of these activities are talked about in research.
Methodology
A systematic search of published literature, electronic sources, and social networking sites was conducted to identify sexual health promotion activities.
Potential Biases
The study may be biased towards English-speaking countries and may not capture all relevant activities due to the limitations of the search strategy.
Limitations
The search methods for electronic sources and SNSs are not well established, and many activities may not have been identified due to the broad range of topics and the changing nature of online content.
Participant Demographics
The majority of activities targeted young people, with a significant number from the United States.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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