title: Magazine reading and involvement and young adults' sexual health knowledge, efficacy, and behaviors.
abstract: These studies investigate connections between magazine reading and involvement and young people's sexual health knowledge, self-efficacy, intentions, and contraception use. Study 1 assessed sexual health behaviors and magazine reading among 579 undergraduate students (69% were female; 68% were White; M(age) = 19.73). As expected, more frequent reading of mainstream magazines was associated with greater sexual health knowledge, safe-sex self-efficacy, and consistency of using contraception, although results varied across sex and magazine genre. Study 2 replicated and expanded on these findings with a survey of 422 undergraduate students (51% were female; 71% were White; 49% were age 18 or younger), incorporating a more extensive knowledge scale, questions about safe-sex intentions, and measures of magazine involvement. Results suggest that magazine use is associated with positive sexual health outcomes among young people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. walshjen@umich.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: L Monique
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003267:Contraception / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011932:Reading; D021841:Safe Sex; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult