1 Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY, USA.
2 Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2018 May/Jun;133(3):234-239. doi: 10.1177/0033354918769289. Epub 2018 Apr 17.
The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released the Teens in NYC mobile phone application (app) in 2013 as part of a program to promote sexual and reproductive health among adolescents aged 12-19 in NYC. The app featured a locator that allowed users to search for health service providers by sexual health services, contraceptive methods, and geographic locations. We analyzed data on searches from the Where to Go section of the app to understand the patterns of use of the app's search functionality. From January 7, 2013, through March 20, 2016, the app was downloaded more than 20 000 times, and more than 25 000 unique searches were conducted within the app. Results suggest that the app helped adolescents discover and access a wide range of sexual health services, including less commonly used contraceptives. Those designing similar apps should consider incorporating search functionality by sexual health service (including abortion), contraceptive method, and user location.
纽约市(NYC)卫生和心理卫生局于 2013 年发布了 Teens in NYC 手机应用程序(app),这是一项旨在促进纽约市 12-19 岁青少年性健康和生殖健康的计划的一部分。该应用程序的特色是一个定位器,允许用户根据性健康服务、避孕方法和地理位置搜索卫生服务提供者。我们分析了该应用程序“去哪里”部分的搜索数据,以了解应用程序搜索功能的使用模式。从 2013 年 1 月 7 日到 2016 年 3 月 20 日,该应用程序被下载了 20000 多次,在应用程序内进行了超过 25000 次的独特搜索。结果表明,该应用程序帮助青少年发现并获得了广泛的性健康服务,包括使用较少的避孕方法。那些设计类似应用程序的人应该考虑通过性健康服务(包括堕胎)、避孕方法和用户位置来纳入搜索功能。