Consumers Are Most Frequent Posters of Contraception Info on Social Media
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 1, 2024 -- Social media is a popular conduit for birth control information, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in Contraception and Reproductive Medicine.
Melody Huang, Ph.D., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues analyzed contraceptive content on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The analysis included a random subset of 1 percent of publicly available, English-language tweets related to reversible, prescription contraceptive methods posted from 2014 through 2019 (4,434 tweets).
The researchers found that tweets most frequently discussed contraceptive method decision-making (26.7 percent) and side effects (20.5 percent), particularly for long-acting reversible contraceptive methods and the depot medroxyprogesterone acetate shot. For short-acting reversible contraceptives, tweets about logistics of use or adherence were common. Contraceptive consumers accounted for 50.6 percent of posts, with only 6 percent posted by an official news or health care source. Few tweets explicitly requested information (6.2 percent) or provided advice (4.2 percent).
"Platforms like Twitter, now known as X, empower patients to access health information and make decisions about contraception that align with their values," coauthor Deborah Bartz, M.D., M.P.H., also of Harvard Medical School, said in a statement. "I would love to work with health care professionals on how to craft effective messaging about contraception and deliver those messages via social media to reach as many patients as possible. We know that educational content shared by health professionals is well-received by users. Overwhelmingly, we see that people want to hear from medical professionals on social media."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2024
Read this next
Many Teen Girls Seeking Care in the ED at High Risk for Pregnancy
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Sexually active adolescents seeking care in the emergency department have a high risk for pregnancy, and the emergency department may provide a feasible...
Decrease in Oral Contraceptive Fills Seen After Dobbs Ruling
WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2024 -- The Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, allowing states to strengthen restrictions on abortion access, was associated with declines...
ENDO: Novel Male Contraceptive Gel May Achieve Faster Sperm Suppression
WEDNESDAY, June 12, 2024 -- A novel male contraceptive gel suppresses sperm production faster than other hormone-based methods for male birth control, according to a phase 2 study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.