Girl Talk: A Smartphone Application to Teach Sexual Health Education to Adolescent Girls - 18/04/17
, Alexandra Sepolen, BA 1, 3, Taylor Mezoian, BS 1, Lucy Schultz, MA 4, Benedict S. Landgren-Mills, MD 5, Noelle Spencer, BA 6, Carol Wheeler, MD 1, 2, Melissa A. Clark, PhD 2, 7Abstract |
Study Objective |
Produce Girl Talk, a free smartphone application containing comprehensive sexual health information, and determine the application's desirability and appeal among teenage girls.
Design, Setting, Participants, and Interventions |
Thirty-nine girls ages 12 to 17 years from Rhode Island participated in a 2-phase prospective study. In phase I, 22 girls assessed a sexual health questionnaire in focus groups. In phase II, 17 girls with iPhones used Girl Talk for 2 weeks and answered the revised sexual health questionnaire and interview questions before and after use.
Main Outcome Measures |
Participants' responses to the sexual health questionnaire, interviews, and time viewing the application were used to determine feasibility and desirability of Girl Talk.
Results |
Girl Talk was used on average for 48 minutes during participants' free time on weekends for 10- to 15-minute intervals. Reported usefulness of Girl Talk as a sexual health application from baseline (6 participants) to follow-up (16 participants) increased significantly (35.3% vs 94.1%; P < .001). Knowledge improved most in topics related to anatomy and physiology (70.5% to 74.7% out of 7 questions), sexuality and relationships (76.5% to 80.0% out of 10 questions), and STI prevention (75.6% to 79.0% out of 7 questions). Most phase II participants (13 out of 17, or 76.5%) were exposed to sexual health education before using Girl Talk, but 16 out of 17 participants (94.1%) stated that the application provided new and/or more detailed information than health classes.
Conclusion |
Girl Talk can potentially connect teenage girls to more information about sexual health vs traditional methods, and participants recommended the application as a valuable resource to learn about comprehensive sexual health.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Key Words : Adolescent, Health education, Prospective studies, Reproductive health, Sexual behavior, Sexually transmitted diseases, Surveys and questionnaires, Health care smartphone applications
Plan
| The authors indicate no conflicts of interest. |
Vol 30 - N° 1
P. 23-28 - février 2017 Retour au numéro
Article précédent
- Barriers and Facilitators to Adolescents' Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives
- Nicole M. Pritt, Alison H. Norris, Elise D. Berlan
- Norms, Attitudes, and Preferences: Responses to a Survey of Teens about Sexually Transmitted Infection and Pregnancy Prevention
- Mary Tschann, Jennifer Salcedo, Reni Soon, Jennifer Elia, Bliss Kaneshiro
Bienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
L’accès au texte intégral de cet article nécessite un abonnement.
Déjà abonné à cette revue ?