Just/US: Social Justice and Sexual Health through online social networking and user driven media

Background: Young adults are at risk for STI including HIV and are the largest consumers of social media. While there are promising computer-based interventions for sexual health, we have yet to identify programs that have successfully engaged youth using social media. Objective: To describe efforts in recruiting and engaging youth in Just/Us program, a sexual health social media program, and to present data showing the efficacy of exposing youth to Just/Us on STI risk including condom use, monogamy and testing for STI. Methods: A respondent driven sampling method was used to identify and recruit individuals to friend Just/Us and enroll in the study. Participants were assessed at baseline and two months follow-up regarding their STI risk behaviors. Regression models explore relationship between risk and outcomes at the individual level; social network analyses were used to identify participant position within a social network and relationship to STI risk. Results: Data suggest that recruitment can be enhanced if we rely on social network members to refer friends to our program. Persons who engage in the site using social media approaches experience positive effects on HIV related risk and protective behaviors such as monogamy and condom use. Conclusions: Social networking sites can serve both as a viable recruitment tool for health promotion research as well as intervention tools. Using social media also has important possibilities for affecting risky behavior, which in turn could impact health outcomes on a larger scale given the widespread use of these modalities by youth.