Social media based strategies to reach Hispanic young adults with tailored sexual health information

Abstract: Hispanics constitute the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. As the country’s fastest growing demographic, social welfare and public health professionals need to focus on ameliorating HIV-related health disparities affecting Hispanics. This study evaluated an innovative HIV prevention effort with Hispanic young adults in South Florida that utilized a social media based platform to increase access to critical HIV prevention information and services. This study (1) evaluated the effectiveness of exposure to the online campaign using an experimental design and (2) provided a systematic review of the campaign’s content and user interactivity. Hispanic young adults (ages 18-24) completed baseline and follow-up assessments focused on risk perceptions and incorporation of HIV preventive behaviors. Mixed ANOVA and logistic regression analysis revealed no significant differences between groups (exposure versus no exposure to the online campaign); however, there was a statistically significant increase in awareness of HIV prevention services across both study conditions (p< .001). Findings reflect the challenges of and opportunities for conducting HIV prevention work online and suggest areas of future research for enhancing online engagement among hard to reach populations.

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The Association Between Problem Recognition, Race/Ethnicity, and Professional Help-Seeking Intentions Across Psychological Disorders

Emerging Adulthood ◽

10.1177/21676968211000491 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216769682110004

Author(s):

Ayanda Chakawa ◽

Steven K. Shapiro

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Adults ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

The United States ◽

Psychological Disorder ◽

Future Research ◽

Problem Recognition ◽

Professional Help ◽

Race Ethnicity

While 75% mental health problems emerge by young adulthood, there is a strong reluctance during this developmental stage to seek professional help. Although limitations in mental health literacy, such as incorrect problem recognition, may hinder professional help-seeking intentions, the relationship between these variables has been understudied among young adults in the United States (U.S.) and racial/ethnic differences in help-seeking intentions for specific disorders have not been well explored. Using a vignette-based design, the current study examines the association between psychological disorder recognition and professional help-seeking intentions among 1,585 Black/African American and White/European American young adults. Correctly identifying a psychological disorder was significantly associated with intentions to seek professional help for several disorders and race/ethnicity significantly influenced intentions to seek professional help for some disorders. Implications for ways to address unmet mental health care needs, especially among racially/ethnically diverse young adults, and directions for future research are discussed.

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Age Differences in the Relationship Between Daily Social Media Usage and Affect

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1320 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 410-410

Author(s):

Xin Yao Lin ◽

Margie Lachman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Media ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Age Differences ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Future Research ◽

Media Usage ◽

The Relationship ◽

Daily Time

Abstract Social media platforms allow people to connect and share content online (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). Although older adults are becoming more frequent users of social media, there continue to be mixed views on whether social media positively or negatively impacts well-being. Past studies have mainly focused on cross-sectional analyses for individual differences. However, both the time spent on social media and one’s affect can fluctuate on a daily basis. Thus, it is important to understand how the relationship between daily social media usage and affect varies within individuals from day to day. The current study adds to the literature by examining whether daily variations in time spent with social media are related to daily positive and negative affect and whether there are age differences in these relationships. The current study used an eight-day daily diary from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher dataset for 782 participants (ages 25-75). Multilevel modeling results revealed that age moderated the relationship between daily time spent on social media and negative affect: for younger adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had more negative affect. For older adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had less negative affect. Surprisingly, daily time spent on social media was not related to daily positive affect, nor did this relationship differ by age. Implications for future research are discussed with a focus on how social media usage can contribute to daily well-being for adults of different ages.

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Social media: an exploration of the outcomes of social media use for homeless youth

10.32920/ryerson.14653536 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer Donath

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Young Adults ◽

Mobile Device ◽

Homeless Youth ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Future Research ◽

The Internet ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

The purpose of this project was to explore how young adults are experiencing relationships when using social media. Using a qualitative design young adults between the ages of 16-25 were asked questions about their experience with social media in the city of Toronto. Qualitative interviews were conducted with three homeless participants who used social media and had access to the internet and a mobile device. The researcher analyzed the data by looking for themes within the participant’s answers. Discussion focuses on the impact of social media, their experiences as a homeless youth and the interaction with social media on a daily basis. The findings also suggest future research for technology amongst homeless youth

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How Do Young Adults Engage With Science and Research on Social Media? Some Preliminary Findings and an Agenda for Future Research

Social Media + Society ◽

10.1177/2056305118797720 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 205630511879772 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Eszter Hargittai ◽

Tobias Füchslin ◽

Mike S. Schäfer

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Young Adults ◽

Public Engagement ◽

Science Communication ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Material ◽

Considerable Research ◽

Public Engagement With Science ◽

Celebrity News ◽

Science And Research

While considerable research has looked at how people use the Internet for sharing and engaging with various types of content from celebrity news to politics, very little of this work has considered how non-specialists interact with science and research material on social media. This article reviews literature on public engagement with science to note that this area is ripe for research on social-media-based engagement in particular. Drawing on a survey of American young adults’ online experiences, we show that using social media for science and research is at least as likely if not more so as engagement with other topics from similarly serious to lighter domains. We also find that platform matters with young adults much more likely to engage with such content on Facebook rather than on Twitter. We end by proposing more focus on this domain in the area of science communication and work on social media.

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A systematic review of mHealth interventions for HIV prevention and treatment among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

Translational Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/tbm/ibaa007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1211-1220

Author(s):

Kimberly M Nelson ◽

Nicholas S Perry ◽

Keith J Horvath ◽

Laramie R Smith

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Hiv Prevention ◽

Text Messaging ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

The United States ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Future Research ◽

Targeted Prevention ◽

Prevention And Treatment ◽

Sex With Men

Abstract The use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies addressing HIV disparities among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) has increased. A systematic review of mHealth interventions for HIV prevention and treatment among GBMSM was conducted to summarize the current evidence and provide recommendations for future research. PRISMA guidelines were followed (PROSPERO ID: 148452). Studies identified via PubMed, PsychInfo, or Embase were included that (i) were in English, (ii) were published in a peer-reviewed journal prior to July 1, 2019, (iii) presented primary results, (iv) included only GBMSM, and (v) reported the results of an mHealth intervention (e.g., text message, phone/mobile application [app]) to improve HIV prevention or treatment outcomes. Of 1,636 identified abstracts, 16 published studies met inclusion criteria. Eleven studies were conducted in the United States. One study was a fully powered randomized controlled trial (RCT), seven were single-arm pilots with pre–post assessments, four were pilot RCTs, and four tested public health campaigns with post-assessments. Seven developed study-specific apps, five used text messaging, and four used existing social networking apps. Most (81%) targeted prevention outcomes. Nine cited a specific behavioral theory. All studies found that a mHealth approach was feasible and acceptable. All interventions provided evidence of preliminary efficacy or promising trends on primary outcomes. Although mHealth interventions for HIV prevention and treatment appear feasible and acceptable, most published studies are small pilot trials. Additional research assessing the efficacy and mechanisms of mHealth interventions is needed.

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From Ink to Web and Beyond

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190204204.013.22 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Heather McKee Hurwitz

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Digital Media ◽

Women Activists ◽

The United States ◽

Future Research ◽

Women's Activism ◽

Media Activism ◽

Mainstream Media ◽

History Of ◽

Feminist Movements

Mainstream media ignores the breadth and diversity of women’s activism and often features sexist, racist, and sexualized portrayals of women. Also, women hold disproportionately fewer jobs in media industries than men. Despite these challenges, women activists protest gender inequality and advocate a variety of other goals using traditional and new social media. This chapter examines the history of women’s media activism in the United States from women activists’ use of mainstream and alternative newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, to how activists adopted Internet technologies and new digital media strategies starting in the 1990s, to how contemporary feminists protest with Facebook and hashtag activism today. I argue that women activists’ use of new social media may necessitate significant shifts in how we research continuity and diversity in women’s and feminist movements, and how we conceptualize resources, micromobilization, and leadership in social movements broadly. I conclude with several suggestions for future research.

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“It Takes a Lot of Planning”: Sexual Minority Young Adult Perceptions of Gay and Lesbian Parenthood

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x20925508 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (10) ◽

pp. 1785-1809

Author(s):

Nicholas Park ◽

Rachel M. Schmitz ◽

Kathleen Slauson-Blevins

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Sexual Minority ◽

The United States ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Gay And Lesbian ◽

Future Research ◽

Social Barriers ◽

Lesbian Parenting ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Group Interviews

Lesbian and gay parents are becoming more prevalent, visible, and accepted in the United States. Despite these shifts, legal and social obstacles continue to shape pathways to parenthood. For many lesbians and gay men, access to parenthood is difficult, uncertain, and varies geographically. Using focus group interviews, this study explores how 36 Midwestern gay, lesbian, and bisexual young adults without children perceive gay and lesbian parenting and their own parenthood prospects. Themes included perceptions of legal and social barriers to parenthood, assumptions of the mounting economic obstacles and constraints surrounding parenthood, and concerns with navigating legal relatedness when establishing their families. This research provides insight into how emerging adulthood is experienced by sexual minority young adults in a shifting legal and social climate full of uncertainty regarding LGBTQ rights and parenthood. Policy implications and future research are discussed surrounding sexually diverse people’s accessibility in pursuing parenthood.

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Ethos, Pathos and Logos: Rhetorical Fixes for an Old Problem: Fake News

10.28945/4154 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

The United States ◽

Future Research ◽

Fake News ◽

Epideictic Rhetoric ◽

Fox News ◽

Main Components ◽

News Recommendation ◽

Effective Use ◽

The Impact

Aim/Purpose: The proliferation of fake news through social media threatens to undercut the possibility of ascertaining facts and truth. This paper explores the use of ancient rhetorical tools to identify fake news generally and to see through the misinformation juggernaut of President Donald Trump. Background: The ancient rhetorical appeals described in Aristotle’s Rhetoric—ethos (character of the speaker), pathos (nature of the audience) and logos (message itself)—might be a simple, yet profound fix for the era of fake news. Also known as the rhetorical triangle and used as an aid for effective public speaking by the ancient Greeks, the three appeals can also be utilized for analyzing the main components of discourse. Methodology: Discourse analysis utilizes insights from rhetoric, linguistics, philosophy and anthropology in in order to interpret written and spoken texts. Contribution This paper analyzes Donald Trump’s effective use of Twitter and campaign rallies to create and sustain fake news. Findings: At the point of the writing of this paper, the Washington Post Trump Fact Checker has identified over 10,000 untruths uttered by the president in his first two years of office, for an average of eight untruths per day. In addition, analysis demonstrates that Trump leans heavily on ethos and pathos, almost to the exclusion of logos in his tweets and campaign rallies, making spectacular claims, which seem calculated to arouse emotions and move his base to action. Further, Trump relies heavily on epideictic rhetoric (praising and blaming), excluding forensic (legal) and deliberative rhetoric, which the ancients used for sustained arguments about the past or deliberations about the future of the state. In short, the analysis uncovers how and ostensibly why Trump creates and sustains fake news while claiming that other traditional news outlets, except for FOX news, are the actual purveyors of fake news. Recommendations for Practitioners: Information systems and communication practitioners need to be aware of the ways in which the systems they create and monitor are vulnerable to targeted attacks of the purveyors of fake news. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research on the identification and proliferation of fake news from a variety of disciplines is needed, in order to stem the flow of misinformation and untruths through social media. Impact on Society: The impact of fake news is largely unknown and needs to be better understood, especially during election cycles. Some researchers believe that social media constitute a fifth estate in the United States, challenging the authority of the three branches of government and the traditional press. Future Research: As noted above, further research on the identification and proliferation of fake news from a variety of disciplines is needed, in order to stem the flow of misinformation and untruths through social media.

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University of North Carolina/Emory Center for Innovative Technology (iTech) for Addressing the HIV Epidemic Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States Concerning the Prevention and Care Continuum: Protocol and Rationale for Center Development (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.10365 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Hightow-Weidman ◽

Kathryn Muessig ◽

Eli Rosenberg ◽

Travis Sanchez ◽

Sara LeGrand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

At Risk ◽

North Carolina ◽

Young Adults ◽

Hiv Prevention ◽

Hiv Infections ◽

The United States ◽

Innovative Technology ◽

Care Continuum ◽

Hiv Epidemic

BACKGROUND Over a fifth of all new HIV infections in the United States occur among persons aged 13 24 years, with most of these diagnoses occurring among gay and bisexual males (81%). While the epidemic of HIV in the United States has leveled off for many age groups, the annual number of new HIV diagnoses among young men who have sex with men (YMSM; 13-24 years old) remains high. Traditional approaches to continuum improvement for youth have been insufficient, and targeted interventions are urgently needed for young people at risk for or infected with HIV. Interventions delivered through mHealth technology represent a promising approach for improving outcomes in this population. Mobile phones have nearly reached saturation among youth, making mobile technology a particularly promising tool for reaching this population. OBJECTIVE The University of North Carolina/Emory Center for Innovative Technology (iTech) is a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement as part of the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions. iTech aims to impact the HIV epidemic by conducting innovative, interdisciplinary research on technology-based interventions across the HIV prevention and care continuum for adolescents and young adults in the United States, particularly YMSM, by providing the following: (1) Evaluation of novel approaches to identifying youth with undiagnosed HIV infections; (2) evaluation of multilevel, combination prevention approaches, particularly relevant to gender- and sexual-minority youth facing co-occurring health risks; (3) evaluation of uptake of and adherence to biomedical prevention modalities; and 4) evaluation of interventions designed to promote or optimize engagement in care and antiretroviral therapy adherence in HIV-positive youth, to optimize viral load suppression. METHODS iTech brings together multidisciplinary experts in the fields of adolescent HIV treatment and prevention, development and evaluation of technology-based interventions, HIV surveillance and epidemiology, and intervention design and evaluation. This initiative will support 8 efficacy trials and 2 exploratory projects, each led by 2 principal investigators. Taken together, the studies address all of the key steps of the HIV prevention and care continuum for youth in the United States. Each proposal uses technology in a scientifically rigorous and innovative way to access, engage, and impact at-risk or infected youth. Nine iTech subject recruitment venues are spread across 8 US cities. Three cores (management, analytic, and technology) support all iTech activities and form the research network’s infrastructure, facilitating all aspects of study implementation and evaluation. RESULTS Formative work has already begun on many of the above-mentioned iTech trials. We expect the first randomized controlled trials to begin in mid-2018. Additional details can be found in the individual intervention protocol papers in this issue. CONCLUSIONS Through its comprehensive research portfolio, iTech aims to effectively advance HIV prevention and care for youth through technology-based, youth-relevant interventions that maximize adaptability and sustainability.

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Population Size Estimation of Gay and Bisexual Men and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men Using Social Media-Based Platforms (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.9321 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Stefan Baral ◽

Rachael M Turner ◽

Carrie E Lyons ◽

Sean Howell ◽

Brian Honermann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Hiv Prevention ◽

Population Size ◽

The United States ◽

Size Estimation ◽

Same Sex ◽

Care Needs ◽

Population Size Estimates ◽

Sex With Men ◽

Size Estimates

BACKGROUND Gay, bisexual, and other cisgender men who have sex with men (GBMSM) are disproportionately affected by the HIV pandemic. Traditionally, GBMSM have been deemed less relevant in HIV epidemics in low- and middle-income settings where HIV epidemics are more generalized. This is due (in part) to how important population size estimates regarding the number of individuals who identify as GBMSM are to informing the development and monitoring of HIV prevention, treatment, and care programs and coverage. However, pervasive stigma and criminalization of same-sex practices and relationships provide a challenging environment for population enumeration, and these factors have been associated with implausibly low or absent size estimates of GBMSM, thereby limiting knowledge about the dynamics of HIV transmission and the implementation of programs addressing GBMSM. OBJECTIVE This study leverages estimates of the number of members of a social app geared towards gay men (Hornet) and members of Facebook using self-reported relationship interests in men, men and women, and those with at least one reported same-sex interest. Results were categorized by country of residence to validate official size estimates of GBMSM in 13 countries across five continents. METHODS Data were collected through the Hornet Gay Social Network and by using an a priori determined framework to estimate the numbers of Facebook members with interests associated with GBMSM in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, The Gambia, Lebanon, Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, Ukraine, and the United States. These estimates were compared with the most recent Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and national estimates across 143 countries. RESULTS The estimates that leveraged social media apps for the number of GBMSM across countries are consistently far higher than official UNAIDS estimates. Using Facebook, it is also feasible to assess the numbers of GBMSM aged 13-17 years, which demonstrate similar proportions to those of older men. There is greater consistency in Facebook estimates of GBMSM compared to UNAIDS-reported estimates across countries. CONCLUSIONS The ability to use social media for epidemiologic and HIV prevention, treatment, and care needs continues to improve. Here, a method leveraging different categories of same-sex interests on Facebook, combined with a specific gay-oriented app (Hornet), demonstrated significantly higher estimates than those officially reported. While there are biases in this approach, these data reinforce the need for multiple methods to be used to count the number of GBMSM (especially in more stigmatizing settings) to better inform mathematical models and the scale of HIV program coverage. Moreover, these estimates can inform programs for those aged 13-17 years; a group for which HIV incidence is the highest and HIV prevention program coverage, including the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is lowest. Taken together, these results highlight the potential for social media to provide comparable estimates of the number of GBMSM across a large range of countries, including some with no reported estimates.

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