Tracy M Scull, Christina V Dodson, Janis B Kupersmidt, Reina Evans-Paulson, Kathryn N Stump, Liz C Reeder
{"title":"A Media Literacy Education Approach to Sexual Health Promotion: Immediate Effects of <i>Media Aware</i> on the Sexual Health Cognitions of Young Adult Community College Students.","authors":"Tracy M Scull, Christina V Dodson, Janis B Kupersmidt, Reina Evans-Paulson, Kathryn N Stump, Liz C Reeder","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2024.2433527","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluates the efficacy of <i>Media Aware</i>, a comprehensive sex education program with a media literacy education approach, for improving sexual health cognitions among 1139 U.S. community college students (ages 18-19) from 23 campuses. Students were randomized to condition (intervention or delayed-intervention control) and completed pretest and posttest questionnaires. Several main effects of the intervention were found at posttest, including reduced perceived realism of media messages, positive attitudes about risky sex, and descriptive normative beliefs about unprotected and risky sexual activity, and increased self-efficacy to use dental dams. Gender and pretest levels moderated some intervention effects. Women in the intervention group reported less identification with media messages compared to women in the control group. Students in the intervention group who reported lower pretest levels of self-efficacy to use dental dams and to refuse unprotected sex had higher posttest levels on those outcomes as compared with the control group. Students in the intervention group who reported higher pretest levels of normative beliefs about risky sexual activity had lower posttest levels on those outcomes as compared with the control group. Results suggest that <i>Media Aware</i> is a promising method to improve the sexual health of young adults attending community college.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":"29 11-12","pages":"716-725"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Health Communication","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2024.2433527","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/12/10 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"COMMUNICATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
A Media Literacy Education Approach to Sexual Health Promotion: Immediate Effects of Media Aware on the Sexual Health Cognitions of Young Adult Community College Students.
This study evaluates the efficacy of Media Aware, a comprehensive sex education program with a media literacy education approach, for improving sexual health cognitions among 1139 U.S. community college students (ages 18-19) from 23 campuses. Students were randomized to condition (intervention or delayed-intervention control) and completed pretest and posttest questionnaires. Several main effects of the intervention were found at posttest, including reduced perceived realism of media messages, positive attitudes about risky sex, and descriptive normative beliefs about unprotected and risky sexual activity, and increased self-efficacy to use dental dams. Gender and pretest levels moderated some intervention effects. Women in the intervention group reported less identification with media messages compared to women in the control group. Students in the intervention group who reported lower pretest levels of self-efficacy to use dental dams and to refuse unprotected sex had higher posttest levels on those outcomes as compared with the control group. Students in the intervention group who reported higher pretest levels of normative beliefs about risky sexual activity had lower posttest levels on those outcomes as compared with the control group. Results suggest that Media Aware is a promising method to improve the sexual health of young adults attending community college.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives is the leading journal covering the full breadth of a field that focuses on the communication of health information globally. Articles feature research on: • Developments in the field of health communication; • New media, m-health and interactive health communication; • Health Literacy; • Social marketing; • Global Health; • Shared decision making and ethics; • Interpersonal and mass media communication; • Advances in health diplomacy, psychology, government, policy and education; • Government, civil society and multi-stakeholder initiatives; • Public Private partnerships and • Public Health campaigns. Global in scope, the journal seeks to advance a synergistic relationship between research and practical information. With a focus on promoting the health literacy of the individual, caregiver, provider, community, and those in the health policy, the journal presents research, progress in areas of technology and public health, ethics, politics and policy, and the application of health communication principles. The journal is selective with the highest quality social scientific research including qualitative and quantitative studies.