Abstract
Objectives
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are high and rising in British Columbia, Canada, and youth ages 15–24 account for a disproportionate amount of the infections. As a result, new public health interventions have increasingly turned towards media such as the internet to reach youth populations at risk for STIs/HIV. We describe youth’s perceptions about online sexual health services.
Methods
We used data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 38 men and 14 women between the ages of 15 and 24 who discussed: online STI/HIV testing services and online counselling and education services.
Results
In general, youth are familiar with, receptive to and have an affinity for online sexual health services. Youth in the current study suggested that online STI/HIV risk assessment and testing as well as online counselling and education could enhance opportunities for low-threshold service provision. Online services appealed to youth’s needs for convenience, privacy, as well as expedient access to testing and/or counselling; however, youth also appear to have relatively low tolerance for technologies that they perceive to be antiquated (e.g., printing lab requisition forms), revealing the challenges of designing online approaches that will not quickly become outdated.
Conclusion
Globally, pilot programs for Internet-based sexual health services such as online testing and partner notification have shown promising results. As Canadian interventions of this type emerge, research with youth populations can provide relevant insights to help program planners launch effective interventions.
Keywords: Youth sexual health, online sexual health services, STI/HIV
Résumé
Objectifs
Les infections transmissibles sexuellement (ITS), déjà nombreuses, sont en hausse en Colombie-Britannique (Canada), et les jeunes de 15 à 24 ans sont surreprésentés dans la population infectée. Par conséquent, de nouvelles mesures d’intervention en santé publique se tournent de plus en plus vers les médias comme l’Internet pour joindre les jeunes populations à risque de contamination par les ITS/le VIH. Nous décrivons ici comment les services de santé sexuelle en ligne sont perçus par les jeunes.
Méthode
Nous avons utilisé les données d’entretiens approfondis, semi-dirigés, menés auprès de 38 hommes et de 14 femmes de 15 à 24 ans avec qui nous avons discuté des services en ligne de dépistage des ITS/du VIH, de counseling et d’information.
Résultats
En général, les jeunes connaissent les services de santé sexuelle en ligne, ils y sont réceptifs, et ils ont une affinité avec ce type de services. Les jeunes de notre étude ont suggéré que l’évaluation du risque et les tests de dépistage en ligne des ITS/du VIH, ainsi que le counseling et l’information en ligne, pourraient améliorer les possibilités de prestation des services à seuil bas. Les services en ligne plaisent aux jeunes parce qu’ils sont pratiques, qu’ils protègent leur vie privée et qu’ils permettent d’accéder rapidement au dépistage et/ou au counseling; cependant, les jeunes semblent aussi avoir une tolérance relativement faible pour les techniques qu’ils perçoivent comme étant dépassées (p. ex., les formulaires de demande imprimés pour les tests de laboratoire), d’où le défi inhérent de concevoir des approches qui ne seront pas rapidement périmées.
Conclusion
Dans l’ensemble, les résultats des programmes d’essai de services de santé sexuelle en ligne, comme le dépistage et la notification des partenaires, sont prometteurs. Des interventions canadiennes de ce type commencent à voir le jour, et les résultats de recherches menées auprès des jeunes populations pourront aider les planificateurs de programmes à lancer des interventions efficaces.
Mots clés: santé sexuelle des jeunes, services de santé sexuelle en ligne, infections sexuellement transmissibles, VIH
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). We are thankful to the youth who took part in this study. Dr. Shoveller holds a CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Chair.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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