Smartphone apps more effective for sex education than traditional methods: study

Teenage pregnancies and SITs are just two of the numerous negative consequences of a lack of awareness among teenagers when it comes to sexual health, and while everything from sex education and public campaigns has been tried to raise awareness, it seems a lot more is yet to be done.

While approaching teenagers directly and talking to them about sex is an important step towards educating them about sexual health, researchers have found that technology can be even more effective in reaching out to them.

Since there’s a smartphone app for almost everything, the study says that it can make life easier for teenagers as well. A study in Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, that an app can connect teenage girls to more information on sexual health than a traditional approach.

The lead author Dr Lynae M. Brayboy told News Medical that, "We found that a smartphone application is a feasible sexual health educational tool that is appealing to teenage girls. In fact, our participants recommended the application as a valuable resource to learn about comprehensive sexual health."

The team selected 39 girls between ages of 12 to 17 as 22 girls assessed a sexual health questionnaire. Then 17 girls with iPhones used the application called girl talk and then answered revised questionnaires. The usefulness of the app as helpful for sexual health went up from 35.3 % to 94.1%.