Social Media Messages Tied to Increased Condom Use, Study Finds
October 11, 2012 — Public health messages on social media websites could help increase condom use, at least temporarily, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Forbes reports (DiSalvo, Forbes, 10/9).
University of Colorado researchers recruited 1,578 individuals ages 18 through 24 for the study. 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.
In addition, 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.
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. "Therefore, [social media] may provide a viable alternative to promote safe sex," she said (Hodgekiss, London Daily Mail, 10/10).
The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
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The Editors
Debra Ness, publisher & president, National Partnership
Andrea Friedman, associate editor & director of reproductive health programs, National Partnership
Marya Torrez, associate editor & senior reproductive health policy counsel, National Partnership
Melissa Safford, associate editor & policy advocate for reproductive health, National Partnership
Perry Sacks, assistant editor & health program associate, National Partnership
Cindy Romero, assistant editor & communications assistant, National Partnership
Justyn Ware, editor
Amanda Wolfe, editor-in-chief
Heather Drost, Hanna Jaquith, Marcelle Maginnis, Ashley Marchand and Michelle Stuckey, staff writers
Tucker Ball, director of new media, National Partnership
