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 The so-called crisis-pregnancy centers are run by private
organizations, but listed in state resource directories for pregnant
women, which implies to users that the information is reliable,
researchers say.
In a previous study, the same research team looked at the accuracy
of information about abortion on crisis pregnancy center websites
and found the sites contained false and misleading information and
often target young people with offers of free testing.
“We wanted to explore the target audience for these websites
further, and assess the accuracy of sexual health information
provided,” said lead author Katelyn Bryant Comstock, of the Gillings
School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.
Nearly 90 percent of young people ages 13 to 24 use the internet as
their main source of sexual health information, Bryant Comstock's
team writes in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.
The researchers identified crisis pregnancy center websites by
looking through state resource directories for pregnant women in
U.S. states with more restrictive abortion laws. They found a total
of 254 websites, mainly listed in southern states.
The researchers evaluated the crisis pregnancy center websites to
determine whether information was given on condoms, STIs and other
sexual health issues, as well as the accuracy of the information.
They also analyzed whether the websites were appealing to younger
audiences.
About one third of the websites offered information about male
condoms or STIs, but less than 10 percent encouraged condom use to
prevent pregnancy and infections. The majority, about 64 percent, in
fact discouraged condom use by suggesting that condoms are not very
effective.
Nearly half of the websites said abstinence should be practiced
until marriage and 45 percent claimed that marriage is protective
against STIs.
Only two websites gave information about how to get hormonal birth
control, but none had information on its effectiveness. Only one
website mentioned the differences between various hormonal birth
control methods.
The researchers report that around 92 percent of the websites with
information about condoms had pictures or videos of young people on
the homepage. More than a third of the websites had social media
buttons prominently displayed, a means of targeting young people,
according to the study team.
“Because these websites appear in official state documents,
adolescents may believe the websites have accurate sexual health
information,” said Bryant-Comstock.
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Brian Goesling, associate director of human services research at
Mathematica Policy Research in Princeton, New Jersey, warns that
people should always think critically about medical information they
receive online.
“The internet is ripe with misinformation, especially when it comes
to reproductive health,” Goesling, who was not involved in the new
study, said in an email.
“When teens rely solely on the medical information they find online,
they put themselves at risk for unintended pregnancy, STIs, and
other health risks,” he added.
Bryant-Comstock advised that parents should be aware “their children
may be accessing these sites when searching for sexual health
information, and they should provide materials and guidance on
appropriate sources of accurate information.”
She recommended Planned Parenthood and the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention as reliable sources and also suggested more
teen-centered websites such as Scareleteen.com and Stayteen.org.
Goesling cautioned that the best resource for health information is
a trained professional. “Teens should not consider the internet a
replacement for qualified nurses and doctors,” he said.
SOURCE: bit.ly/1QNNFXm Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent
Gynecology, Online June 3, 2015.
(This refiled version of the story changes authors name in fifth
paragraph from Gillings to Bryant Comstock.)
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