Impact of Facebook Ads for Sexual Health Promotion Via an Educational Web App: A Case Study

Introduction

The World Health Organization has underlined the importance of addressing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Organization 2010). Viral STIs such as HIV and Hepatitis B have a prevalence of about 37 million and 240 million cases worldwide, respectively (Organization 2012). Genital chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis and syphilis represent the main curable STIs in the world, with nearly 500 million new cases in 2008 (Organization 2012). Many of these patients remain contagious for decades, hence, preventive measures are essential.

Computer-based interventions for sexual health promotion represent an excellent resource for education, as they have demonstrated to have a significant effect on users by improving their knowledge, and increasing safety in their sex behaviour (Noar, Black et al. 2009, Bailey, Murray et al. 2012). With over a billion and a half active users worldwide as of September, 2016 (The Statistics Portal 2016), Facebook (FB) might represent a relevant environment for public health promotion (Paton, Bamidis et al. 2011, Gabarron and Fernández-Luque 2012, Neiger, Thackeray et al. 2012, Miron-Shatz, Hansen et al. 2013), including for sexual health promotion (Dunne, McIntosh et al. 2014). The computer-based technologies’ effect on health promotion and health education might be even more relevant in developed countries, such as Norway, where a national survey performed in 2011 showed that 100% of youth aged 16-24 used the Internet every day, or almost every day, and that they connected to the Internet mainly for social networking purposes (Statistics Norway 2016).