{"title":"Information-seeking Behavior of Iranian Young Adults (18-28 Years Old) Regarding HPV on Social Media: A Preventive Approach to HPV.","authors":"Masoomeh Latifi, Nader Alishan Karami, Leili Allahbakhshian, Narges Aghaesmaeili, Hatav Ghasemi Tehrani","doi":"10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_337_23","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Health information-seeking behavior refers to individuals' targeted actions to satisfy their health information needs and search for relevant disease-related information. Nowadays, social media platforms provide a great opportunity for meeting health information needs and delivering preventive education regarding human papillomavirus (HPV). The purpose of this study is the information-seeking behavior of Iranian young adults (18-28 years old) regarding HPV on social media, a preventive approach to HPV.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2023 among Iranian boys and girls aged 18-28 years. A multistage cluster sampling method was used to select 3840 participants. The data collection tool was Longo's Health Information-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed that Iranian youth aged 18-28 were more inclined to seek information on social media about the transmission routes and preventive measures for HPV. The primary informational need regarding transmission was \"I want to know the main route of HPV transmission is through vaginal and anal intercourse?\", and regarding prevention, it was \"Can condoms prevent HPV infection?\" Additionally, the findings indicated that young individuals sought information about HPV after their first sexual encounter. Most of the information needs of the youth were fulfilled through YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp, mainly in video format. Approximately 85.10% of the youth were satisfied with the information obtained from social media. The results revealed a significant and positive relationship between the health information needs of young adults (18-28 years old) in the area of HPV and personal factors. Gender, age, marital status, education level, history of HPV infection, and engaging is unprotected extramarital sex were identified as significant influential factors on the level of information needs of young individuals, especially regarding HPV preventive measures (<i>P</i> < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Health authorities and disease control and prevention centers need to harness the potential of social media in meeting the informational needs of youth and providing education and awareness, especially concerning the transmission and prevention of HPV.</p>","PeriodicalId":14342,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Preventive Medicine","volume":"15 ","pages":"41"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11460987/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Preventive Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_337_23","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Health information-seeking behavior refers to individuals' targeted actions to satisfy their health information needs and search for relevant disease-related information. Nowadays, social media platforms provide a great opportunity for meeting health information needs and delivering preventive education regarding human papillomavirus (HPV). The purpose of this study is the information-seeking behavior of Iranian young adults (18-28 years old) regarding HPV on social media, a preventive approach to HPV.
Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2023 among Iranian boys and girls aged 18-28 years. A multistage cluster sampling method was used to select 3840 participants. The data collection tool was Longo's Health Information-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS software.
Results: The results showed that Iranian youth aged 18-28 were more inclined to seek information on social media about the transmission routes and preventive measures for HPV. The primary informational need regarding transmission was "I want to know the main route of HPV transmission is through vaginal and anal intercourse?", and regarding prevention, it was "Can condoms prevent HPV infection?" Additionally, the findings indicated that young individuals sought information about HPV after their first sexual encounter. Most of the information needs of the youth were fulfilled through YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp, mainly in video format. Approximately 85.10% of the youth were satisfied with the information obtained from social media. The results revealed a significant and positive relationship between the health information needs of young adults (18-28 years old) in the area of HPV and personal factors. Gender, age, marital status, education level, history of HPV infection, and engaging is unprotected extramarital sex were identified as significant influential factors on the level of information needs of young individuals, especially regarding HPV preventive measures (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Health authorities and disease control and prevention centers need to harness the potential of social media in meeting the informational needs of youth and providing education and awareness, especially concerning the transmission and prevention of HPV.
期刊介绍：
International Journal of Preventive Medicine, a publication of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, is a peer-reviewed online journal with Continuous print on demand compilation of issues published. The journal’s full text is available online at http://www.ijpvmjournal.net. The journal allows free access (Open Access) to its contents and permits authors to self-archive final accepted version of the articles on any OAI-compliant institutional / subject-based repository. The journal will cover technical and clinical studies related to health, ethical and social issues in field of Preventive Medicine. Articles with clinical interest and implications will be given preference.
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