Social media-delivered sexual health intervention: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Youth are using social media regularly and represent a group facing substantial risk for sexually transmitted infection (STI). Although there is evidence that the Internet can be used effectively in supporting healthy sexual behavior, this has not yet extended to social networking sites.

Purpose

To determine whether STI prevention messages delivered via Facebook are efficacious in preventing increases in sexual risk behavior at 2 and 6 months.

Design

Cluster RCT, October 2010-May 2011.

Setting/participants

Individuals (seeds) recruited in multiple settings (online, via newspaper ads and face-to-face) were asked to recruit three friends, who in turn recruited additional friends, extending three waves from the seed. Seeds and waves of friends were cons

SUBMITTER: Bull SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3479665 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature