The Content and Accessibility of Sex Education Information on the Internet

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 684-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan Smith ◽  
Emily Gertz ◽  
Sarah Alvarez ◽  
Peter Lurie

The objective of this studywas to describe Web sites with sex education material and assess the accessibility of specific information on the Internet. First, the authors conducted a review of Web sites using specific sex education keywords. Second, 27 undergraduate students were asked to locate information on proper condom use and sexually transmitted disease (STD) symptoms. The time, number of search attempts, and number of clicks needed to identify each piece of information were recorded. The authors identified 41 sites with sex education material from almost 6 million pages yielded by the keywords. Sixty-three percent of the 1,556 most compatible pages were categorized as pornography. The students found the information on condom use and STD symptoms in an average of 4 minutes, using fewer then six clicks and two searches. The authors concluded that general information on sex education is difficult to locate on the Internet and often lacks essential elements, but accurate and useful information on specific topics can be more easily obtained.

Author(s):  
Calvin Chandra ◽  
Lina Purnama

Millennials is a generation that’s gifted with techonology, they were born surrounded by technology. But as the time goes bye, using all the technologies such as mobile devices and internet would bring a negative effects. With all the easiness to access all information, many people (millennials) find it difficult to differentiate the negative and the positive ones, since the internet would provide all kind of information including the negatives such as pornography. A group of people who spent more time on the internet (more than four hours per-day) would have a higher tendency to premarital sexual behavior (Indrijati, 2017).  As a result now, bunch of millennials are exposed to a sexually transmitted disease (STDs). Due to lack of sex education, preventing and controlling the disease has become a difficult task. Sex education still categorized as a ‘taboo’ thing to be discussed on public, even more to be educated.  This becomes the main reason for many millennials to seek out the information by themselves through the internet, and eventually got exposed by the negative contents such as pornography. By analyzing various elements of sex education as the basis and providing a decent information that’s suitable for the community especially millennials, while also noticing modern entertainment’s development as a catalyst to introduce the program. The idea is to emerge an incorporate elements of sex education and modern entertainment technology into a museum. 3d mapping technology used to provide a whole new experience on public education. The chosen site is on Mangga Besar area which known as the “Eden Garden” at night, because of the culinary center and the nightlife in West Jakarta. This project would also interacts with its surroundings, as an open space for the communities around. This project consisted of some programs which is, supported by 3d mapping room, café, gallery, and seminar room. This project aim to amend people’s perception of sex as a taboo thing to become something that must be educated to all the community. AbstrakGenerasi milenial adalah generasi yang mahir menggunakan teknologi, mereka lahir ketika teknologi sudah ada di sekeliling mereka. Namun seiring perkembangan zaman terutama di bidang teknologi seperti penggunaan internet, gawai, dan perangkat komputer tentu juga membawa berbagai dampak negatif. Dengan mudahnya mengakses informasi, banyak dari generasi milenial sulit menyaring berbagai informasi yang ada saat ini, terutama konten-konten negatif seperti pornografi. Kelompok dengan frekuensi menggunakan internet yang tinggi (lebih dari empat jam) memiliki kecenderungan tinggi pula pada perilaku seksual pranikah (Indrijati,2017). Akibatnya saat ini, banyak dari generasi milenial terpapar oleh Penyakit Menular Seksual (PMS). Salah satu hambatan paling besar dalam pencegahan dan penanggulangan dari Penyakit Menular Seksual ini adalah karena kurangnya edukasi seks di Indonesia. Edukasi seks masih menjadi hal yang tabu untuk diperbincangkan dan disosialisasikan ke masyarakat umum. Hal inilah yang menyebabkan generasi milenial dengan sendirinya mencari informasi mengenai seks dan terpapar konten negatif seperti pornografi. Dengan menganalisis berbagai unsur edukasi seks sebagai dasar untuk mengedukasi dan memberikan informasi yang benar mengenai seks itu sendiri ke masyarakat luas, serta melihat perkembangan teknologi hiburan modern sebagai katalis pengenalan program, muncul ide untuk menggabungkan unsur edukasi seks dan teknologi hiburan modern tersebut dalam proyek museum. Teknologi 3D Mapping dimanfaatkan untuk memberi pengalaman baru dalam mengedukasi masyarakat. Tapak yang dipilih berada di daerah Mangga Besar sebagai kawasan yang terkenal sebagai “taman eden” pada malam hari karena terkenal sebagai pusat kuliner dan hiburan malam di Jakarta Barat. Proyek ini juga berinteraksi dengan sekitarnya sebagai tempat yang nyaman dengan ruang terbuka untuk masyarakat sekitar. Program didukung dengan ruang 3D Mapping, cafe, galeri, dan ruang seminar. Proyek ini diharapkan dapat mengubah persepsi masyarakat bahwa seks suatu topik yang tabu dan dapat mengedukasi masyarakat secara luas.


2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-116
Author(s):  
Biljana Kocić ◽  
Marina Kostić ◽  
Tatjana Cagulović

Summary Sex education is aimed at equipping individuals with sex-related information, motivation, and behavioral skills that will enable them to avoid sex-related problems and to achieve sexual well-being. Safer sex promotion and condom promotion and distribution programmes have grown significantly since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. Condom use among young people is especially important because the young are often at greatest risk of HIV infection and have the least access to condoms. In many countries, where the Internet is part of the media landscape, not-for-profit agencies, governments and commercial condom companies alike have started utilising the Internet to promote safer sex and condom use. Most young people have regular access to the internet, and there is some expectation that the Internet is helping to fill the sexual health information gap. The development of an Internet-based, theoretically-driven, innovative approach to sex education weds the special strengths of the Internet as a rich, interactive, individualized pedagogical tool in order to provide effective sex education to large numbers of individuals in a very cost-effective fashion. The proposed approach exploits the characteristics of anonymity, availability, affordability, acceptability, and aloneness of using the Internet. Within this approach, learners are first individually assessed in terms of information, motivation, and behavioral skills deficits that are relevant to the individual's sexual problems and sexual well-being.


10.2196/12917 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e12917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Nielsen ◽  
Aspasia Bågenholm ◽  
Ayesha De Costa

Background Mobile health (mHealth) has been shown to be effective in increasing knowledge of sexual health among youth. To date, evaluations mostly refer to interventions delivered via computer, email, and text messages. The possibility of downloading apps on mobile devices has opened up opportunities to develop engaging interventions on safe sexual health promotion. To attract young users and have them engage with a sexual health app, it is important to involve youth in intervention development. Objective This study aimed to obtain input from youth on the content of a mobile phone app intended to promote safe sex and increase condom use among youth in Stockholm. Methods This study was conducted at the Youth Health Clinics (YHC) in Stockholm County, Sweden. A total of 15 individual in-depth interviews and 2 focus group discussions (with youth aged 18-23 years) were conducted at the YHC in Stockholm. Areas explored were: (1) youth perceptions of condom use (advantages and obstacles), (2) perceptions of mHealth to promote safe sexual practices, and (3) content development for a mobile phone app to promote safe sex. Results The smartphone app was developed based on the categories that emerged from the data. With regard to content, youth requested sex education, including information on sexually transmitted infections. In addition, condom-specific information, including practical usage technique, advice on how to have the condom talk, and how to decrease shame related to condom use, was requested. Youth suggested different modes to deliver the content, including text messages, movie clips, and push notifications. It was suggested that the tone of the messages delivered should be fun, entertaining, and supportive. The inputs from youth influenced the development of the following sections of the app: Condom Obstacles and Solutions; Quiz; Games; Self-Refection; Challenges; Stories by Peers (stories from peers and information from a doctor); Condom Tips, Pep Talk, and Boosting; and Random Facts. Conclusions It is important to use input from youth when developing a smartphone intervention since the success of the intervention largely depends on the level of engagement and usage by youth. Furthermore, if proven efficient in increasing condom use, it is important that the development, including content and mode, is thoroughly described so that the intervention can be replicated. Likewise, if proven inefficient, it is important to learn from mistakes to improve and adjust the intervention. The effect of this smartphone app on safe sexual practices among youth is being evaluated in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial in Stockholm (ISRCTN13212899) and will be reported separately.


2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher K. Bichakjian ◽  
Jennifer L. Schwartz ◽  
Timothy S. Wang ◽  
Janette M. Hall ◽  
Timothy M. Johnson ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy and completeness of information regarding melanoma on the Internet, retrieved by use of search engines. METHODS: The first 30 uniform/universal resource locators (URLs) from each of eight search engines using the search term “melanoma” were retrieved for evaluation of accuracy and completeness using a 35-point checklist rating system instrument. Four reviewers independently rated each of 35 sites, and one reviewer rated all 74 assessable sites. Kappa statistics were used to evaluate interrater variability. RESULTS: A total of 74 assessable Web sites were evaluated. The remainder were inaccessible, link pages only, or duplicates. Thirty-five Web sites were each independently rated by four reviewers. The remaining 39 Web sites were each rated by one reviewer. The mean kappa statistic for all variables and all rater pairs for which a kappa could be calculated was 0.824, indicating excellent overall inter-rater reliability. The majority of Web sites failed to include complete information on general information, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and prognosis. Ten Web sites (14%) contained a total of 13 inaccuracies, most relatively minor. CONCLUSION: Medical information retrieved with the search term melanoma was likely to lack complete basic melanoma information and contained inaccuracies in 14% of sites. Health care providers can help patients by recommending comprehensive and accurate Web sites for patient review, by working to create accurate and thorough Web-based health information material, and by educating patients and the public about the variability in completeness and accuracy.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Nielsen ◽  
Aspasia Bågenholm ◽  
Ayesha De Costa

BACKGROUND Mobile health (mHealth) has been shown to be effective in increasing knowledge of sexual health among youth. To date, evaluations mostly refer to interventions delivered via computer, email, and text messages. The possibility of downloading apps on mobile devices has opened up opportunities to develop engaging interventions on safe sexual health promotion. To attract young users and have them engage with a sexual health app, it is important to involve youth in intervention development. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to obtain input from youth on the content of a mobile phone app intended to promote safe sex and increase condom use among youth in Stockholm. METHODS This study was conducted at the Youth Health Clinics (YHC) in Stockholm County, Sweden. A total of 15 individual in-depth interviews and 2 focus group discussions (with youth aged 18-23 years) were conducted at the YHC in Stockholm. Areas explored were: (1) youth perceptions of condom use (advantages and obstacles), (2) perceptions of mHealth to promote safe sexual practices, and (3) content development for a mobile phone app to promote safe sex. RESULTS The smartphone app was developed based on the categories that emerged from the data. With regard to content, youth requested sex education, including information on sexually transmitted infections. In addition, condom-specific information, including practical usage technique, advice on how to have the condom talk, and how to decrease shame related to condom use, was requested. Youth suggested different modes to deliver the content, including text messages, movie clips, and push notifications. It was suggested that the tone of the messages delivered should be fun, entertaining, and supportive. The inputs from youth influenced the development of the following sections of the app: <i>Condom Obstacles and Solutions</i>; <i>Quiz</i>; <i>Games</i>; <i>Self-Refection</i>; <i>Challenges</i>; <i>Stories by Peers</i> (stories from peers and information from a doctor); <i>Condom Tips, Pep Talk, and Boosting</i>; and <i>Random Facts</i>. CONCLUSIONS It is important to use input from youth when developing a smartphone intervention since the success of the intervention largely depends on the level of engagement and usage by youth. Furthermore, if proven efficient in increasing condom use, it is important that the development, including content and mode, is thoroughly described so that the intervention can be replicated. Likewise, if proven inefficient, it is important to learn from mistakes to improve and adjust the intervention. The effect of this smartphone app on safe sexual practices among youth is being evaluated in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial in Stockholm (ISRCTN13212899) and will be reported separately.


Libri ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Kammer ◽  
Kodjo Atiso ◽  
Edward Mensah Borteye

Abstract This comparative cultural study examines differences in digital citizenship between undergraduate information literacy students at two different, but similar, universities across the globe from each other. Under the notion that the internet and prevalence of mobile devices allow students to participate online as digital citizens in ways that were impossible before, we use mixed methods to compare the attitudes and experiences of undergraduate students at a university in the midwestern United States (U.S.), with a university on the southwestern coast of Ghana. We also examine the policies related to technology use at these schools. The findings indicate that Ghanaian students had higher levels of digital citizenship. Other findings suggest that network issues are a problem for students in both schools, especially for Ghana, and ethical aspects of internet use, like cyberbullying, hacking, and fake news, deter students from participating online as much as they would like.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e041503
Author(s):  
Peizhen Zhao ◽  
Weiming Tang ◽  
Huanhuan Cheng ◽  
Shujie Huang ◽  
Heping Zheng ◽  
...  

ObjectivesUnderscreening of HIV and syphilis in clinical settings is pervasive in resource-constrained settings. Heavy patient loads and competing health priorities in these settings inhibit provider’s ability to meet screening coverage targets. The objective of this study was to examine determinants of provider-initiated HIV and syphilis testing uptake at sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in China.DesignA cross-sectional study was performed between July 2016 and December 2016.SettingSeven STD clinics in Guangdong Province, China.ParticipantsHeterosexual STD clinic patients met the inclusion criteria, regardless of their interest in receiving HIV or syphilis testing.Outcome measuresThe syphilis and HIV testing uptake determined by patient receipt of results.ResultsA total of 1943 individuals were recruited in this study. Among those participants, 60.6% (1177/1943) and 74.3% (1443/1943) conducted HIV testing and syphilis testing during the study, respectively, of whom, 2.2% (26/1177) and 21.5% (310/1443) were found to be HIV-positive and syphilis-positive, respectively. The most common reason for rejecting HIV and syphilis testing was a low self-perceived risk of HIV and syphilis infection. After adjusting for covariates, condom use in the last sexual act, consistent condom use in the last 6 months, having paid sex in the last 6 months and having received any kind of HIV/STD-related knowledge during the last 12 years were positively associated with both HIV and syphilis testing uptake.ConclusionsThe low-level of HIV and syphilis testing uptake, alongside with the high-level of engagement in risky sexual behaviours among heterosexual STD clinic patients, warranted a more targeted and intensive behavioural interventions to promote HIV and syphilis testing in this population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Jialin Fan ◽  
Andrew P Smith

(1) Psychology must play an important role in the prevention and management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the present study was to examine associations between the perceptions of information overload and wellbeing in China during the initial phase of COVID-19. (2) Methods: The present research involved a cross-sectional online survey, which controlled for established predictors of wellbeing and the perception of general (not COVID-19-specific) information overload. The setting of the research was China, February 2020. A total of 1349 participants completed an online survey, and the results from 1240 members of the general public who stated that they were uninfected are reported here (55.6% female; 49.4% single; age distribution: 17–25 years: 26%; 26–30 years: 24.3%; 31–40 years: 23.9%; 41–50 years: 16.2%; 51 years+: 9.6%; the most frequent occupations were: 21.5% students; 19.5% teachers; 25.9% office workers; 10.8% managers, plus a few in a wide range of jobs). The outcomes were positive wellbeing (positive affect and life satisfaction) and negative wellbeing (stress, negative affect, anxiety and depression). (3) Results: Regressions were carried out, controlling for established predictors of wellbeing (psychological capital, general information overload, positive and negative coping). Spending time getting information about COVID-19 was associated with more positive wellbeing. In contrast, perceptions of COVID-19 information overload and feeling panic due to COVID-19 were associated with more negative wellbeing. (4) Conclusions: These results have implications for the communication of information about COVID-19 to the general public and form the basis for further research on the topic.


Spine ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (21) ◽  
pp. E1364-E1369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory J. Nason ◽  
Baker ◽  
Damien P. Byrne ◽  
Jacques Noel ◽  
David Moore ◽  
...  

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