It Gets Better: A Content Analysis of Health Behavior Theory in Anti-Bullying YouTube Videos

Abstract

Bullying is a pervasive problem that affects children and adolescents of all backgrounds. Public Service Announcements (PSAs) spread through social media present a unique opportunity to reach many young people and teach skills for dealing with bullying. The purpose of this paper is to examine health behavior theory content of antibullying YouTube PSAs, and other YouTube videos containing anti-bullying messages. This study design comprised a content analysis for health behavior theory of anti-bullying YouTube videos. Videos were selected from www.YouTube.com using specific search terms typed into the search tool bar. Three graduate students trained in health behavior theory coded the videos. Results demonstrate that most anti-bullying YouTube videos do not incorporate health behavior theoretical constructs. Videos containing links to other websites were found to have greater inclusion of health behavior theory constructs. Theory was also positively associated with the number of views (p < .05). This paper represents the first in-depth content analysis for health behavior theoretical constructs in YouTube videos targeting bullying PSAs. Organizations should incorporate health behavior theories when developing PSAs to maximize behavioral impact, and to achieve high viewership. Overall anti-bullying videos on YouTube are ineffective in both utilizing theory and garnering views.

Racialized Sexual Discrimination (RSD) and Psychological Wellbeing among Young Sexual Minority Black Men (YSMBM) Who Seek Intimate Partners Online

“…Such initiatives may help mobilize the community to develop health promotion campaigns to dis-courage RSD. Allies and members of the LGBT community have already pursued initiatives around the subject of LGBT suicide and bullying, such as the Trevor Project and the "It Gets Better" campaign, to widespread recognition and varying degrees of success (Hendricks et al, 2012;Lister et al, 2013;Muller, 2012;Wiederhold, 2014). Awareness around RSD has already begun to follow suit, with blogs and smaller media outlets reporting on the subject, but has yet to breach the threshold of broader community and/or national recognition.…”

What has changed from 2001 to 2012 for sexual minority youth in New Zealand?

“…While there are disparities, there have also been some social improvements, as evident by the availability of same‐sex marriage in over 17 countries and international campaigns such as It Gets Better (http://www.itgetsbetter.org/). It is therefore plausible that, based on these social changes and because there have been improvements in regard to the health of young people overall, the health and well‐being of SMY has improved over time. There is a need to monitor potential health changes at a population level so targeted action can be taken .…”

Share Videos, Not Pills: A Content Analysis of Prescription Drug Videos on YouTube for Presence of Behavior Change Theory

“…The instrument and methods used for in this study were adapted from instruments developed by Doshi et al (2003), which was created to evaluate the integration of health behavior theory in physical activity websites, and Cowan et al (2012), which was created to evaluate the use of health behavior theory in physical activity iPhone apps [13] [14]. Additionally, two other studies evaluating health messages on YouTube and the inclusion of health behavior theory have been conducted using similar methodology [15] [16]. Two graduate research assistants trained in health behavior theory coded the videos to assess key constructs of 4 major theories of behavior change.…”