Among the total study population, approximately 21% were under the age of 18, 44% were 18 to 24 years, and 35% were 25 to 29. Additionally, most of the participants were White (51%), and the remaining were Hispanic (24%), Black (14%), multiracial (6%) or non-Hispanic other (5%) in which their race was self-reported through the survey.
Key Takeaways
- Health Care Providers and Parents Are Preferred Sources: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) primarily preferred receiving contraceptive information from clinicians and health care providers, especially as they age; however, there is a significant gap between preferred and actual sources, with only a fraction actually using them as sources.
- Social Media Plays a Growing Role: While social networking sites are not commonly preferred by AYAs, they are increasingly used as actual sources of contraceptive information, especially among those aged 18 to 24 years. These platforms are not linked to providing sufficient contraceptive information.
- Quality of Information Depends on Source: Participants who received contraceptive information from providers or parents reported feeling more informed compared to those relying on other sources, such as school, peers, or social media. The study suggests involving health care providers more actively in online platforms to improve access to accurate information can be beneficial.
Discrepancies were present between AYAs’ preferred and actual sources of contraceptive information with variations present depending on the age group. Overall, clinicians and health care professionals were the most commonly preferred source in all age groups (<18 years: 68%; 18-24 years: 84%; and 25-29 years: 87%); however, it was noticeably less common as an actual source (<18 years: 33%; 18-24 years: 43%; and 25-29 years: 50%). Further, approximately 59% of participants who were younger than 18 reported that their parents were their preferred source, but only 36% actually received information from their parents.
Additionally, social networking sites and platforms were not commonly preferred across all groups (<18 years: 6%; 18-24 years: 12%; and 25-29 years: 10%) but it was the second most common actual source for respondents aged 18 and older (18-24 years: 28%; and 25-29 years: 18%). Further, approximately one-third of all participants did not receive any contraceptive information in the past year (<18 years: 30%; 18-24 years: 35%; and 25-29 years: 36%).
The investigators also observed that participants’ actual source was associated with having self-reported sufficient information about contraception. For example, patients had a greater odds of reporting sufficient information if their source was a clinician or health care professional (HCP), compared with those who reported other sources or no source. Younger participants below the age of 18 who used parents as an actual source also had greater odds of reporting sufficient information. Overall, the investigators observed that schools, peers, websites, and social networking sites and platforms were not associated with sufficient information.
The primary limitations of the study were potential recall biases because of parental consent requirement for minor participants and past year information sources. The findings, however, demonstrate the value of parents and HCPs as sources of sufficient contraceptive information. The authors suggest that to improve information that is available in online spaces, HCP engagement should be implemented to engage with AYA users who prefer receiving their information on such platforms.
REFERENCE
Pleasants E, Whitfield B, Pleasure ZH, et al. Adolescents and Young Adults’ Sources of Contraceptive Information. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2433310. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.33310
