title: Health-related media use among youth audiences in Senegal.
abstract: Lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are experiencing rapid changes in access to and use of new internet and digital media technologies. The purpose of this study was to better understand how younger audiences are navigating traditional and newer forms of media technologies, with particular emphasis on the skills and competencies needed to obtain, evaluate and apply health-related information, also defined as health and media literacy. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted throughout Senegal in September 2012 with youth aged 15-25. Using an iterative coding process based on grounded theory, four themes emerged related to media use for health information among Senegalese youth. They include the following: (i) media utilization; (ii) barriers and conflicts regarding media utilization; (iii) uses and gratifications and (iv) health and media literacy. Findings suggest that Senegalese youth use a heterogeneous mix of media platforms (i.e. television, radio, internet) and utilization often occurs with family members or friends. Additionally, the need for entertainment, information and connectedness inform media use, mostly concerning sexual and reproductive health information. Importantly, tensions arise as youth balance innovative and interactive technologies with traditional and conservative values, particularly concerning ethical and privacy concerns. Findings support the use of multipronged intervention approaches that leverage both new media, as well as traditional media strategies, and that also address lack of health and media literacy in this population. Implementing health-related interventions across multiple media platforms provides an opportunity to create an integrated, as opposed to a disparate, user experience.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, PO Box 95-1772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA dglik@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glik
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Prevention, Drexel University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Massey
authors.affiliation: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, PO Box 95-1772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gipson
authors.affiliation: Centre Régional de Formation, de Recherche et de Plaidoyer en Sante de la Reproduction (CEFOREP), Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Thierno
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dieng
authors.affiliation: Reseau Africain d'Education pour la Santé (RAES), Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rideau
authors.affiliation: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, PO Box 95-1772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prelip
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D066296:Grounded Theory; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000193:education; D012675:Senegal; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Africa; ICTs; health literacy; youth audiences
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