YouTube: An Effective Web 2.0 Informing Channel for Health Education to Prevent STDs

Abstract

YouTube is a social media venue with great potential as a health education-informing channel. Health educators and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2011) recognize that YouTube enjoys a high level of engagement and comfort among young users. This enhances its educational value for this vulnerable population, who already account for half of the new sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) diagnosed annually. It is imperative to reach these users with information about safe sex and sexual risk prevention. In this work, 18-24 year old undergraduates were pre-tested, and half of the participants viewed an entertaining YouTube safe sex education video while the other half viewed a factual YouTube safe sex education video. Posttests on both groups confirmed YouTube's significant value as a health education-informing channel that fosters knowledge acquisition and provokes healthy future behavior change. This study clarifies user preferences for health education messaging on YouTube, and confirms YouTube's substantial educational utility, while guiding health educators' effective use of this health education-informing channel.

The kiss of death – Unearthing conversations surrounding Chagas disease on YouTube

“…This underscores the important Entertainment Education value that health communication practitioners may take advantage of. In as much as the health communication practitioners should be cautious of the risk of messages becoming trivial due to the application of humor, humorous messages has the potential of enhancing viewer attention, are more persuasive and can provoke positive viewer response (Prybutok, 2013).…”

Medical advertising on demand: A content analysis of YouTube direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements

“…Or perhaps the age of the viewer is important. Prybutok 47 found that teens and young adults feel more comfortable looking to the internet for medical information than discussing it with their parents or peers.…”

“…This could be due to the age of people who would be most likely to be on the internet looking for information. As the Center for Disease control has stated, YouTube is a media well suited for younger consumers 47 and so it would make sense that they would be more likely to be depicted in this medium, even if they are not the ones most likely to consume healthcare products.…”

The Use of Internet and Social Media : Study on Tax Information Seeking Behavior Among Indonesian Taxpayers During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This results reinforced by the 2013 study by Prybutok, in which it confirms Youtube as a reference for its users to communicate and educates themselves about health. The use of Youtube as a channel for education and information has been deemed effective before [23].…”