The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #38505

Harvey Skinner, PhD, Sherry Biscope, MHSc, and Blake Poland, PhD. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, McMurrich Building, 12 Queen's Park Crescent West, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada

Technological advancements and increased availability have stimulated experimentation in using information and communication technologies to support the health of youth. An important question remains unanswered: “If you build it, will they come?” This presentation will outline the dilemmas and opportunities for using information technologies to support youth health promotion. We conducted a comprehensive study (27 focus groups, 210 participants) to capture youth's experiences and opinions in using information technologies for: finding health related information, providing and obtaining social support, facilitating personal change and participating in collective action Youth perceptions and actual use patterns will be discussed. Then, based on these data, best practice recommendations are described for matching different types of information technologies to effectively meet the diverse needs of youth and community health organizations.

Learning Objectives:

• Outline the relationship between types of information technology and their most appropriate uses by youth
• List health education opportunities using responsible and accessible information technologies

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Information Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.