Department of Economics, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA.
Department of Computer Science, San Francisco State University, CA, USA.
Contraception. 2022 Aug;112:68-73. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2022.01.007. Epub 2022 Jan 25.
As University Student Health Centers are considered reputable sources of information by many young adults, we evaluate the presence of contraceptive information on their websites.
We used a software tool (Quantitative Measures of Online Health Information), designed for public health research to examine online information access on four broad categories of contraception and reproductive health (LARC/injectables, Contraception, Condom, Pap test) on student health center websites from all (591) public four-year universities across the United States between July to September 2020. Using a logistic regression model, we documented factors that are associated with information disparities.
Our sample consisted of 545 public universities after excluding those for which information was unavailable. In 357 (66%) of the universities in our sample, we found evidence of some information related to contraception. A one percentage point increase in the student population that are Pell grant recipients, an indicator of the proportion of low-income students enrolled, is associated with a 3% to 6% (0.01<p<0.05) decrease in the odds of the presence of contraception information. A one percentage point increase in the student population that is female is associated with a 3% to 6% (0.01<p<0.1) increase in the odds of the presence of contraception information. Universities that offer medical degrees have an 82% (p<0.1) higher odds of providing information for LARC/injectables on their websites. Universities that have an institutional size of more than 10,000 students are almost four times (p<0.01) as likely to have contraception information on their websites relative to those with a smaller institutional size.
Information on contraception on University student health center websites is associated with on a host of factors related to student demographics, institutional characteristics, and university location.
Examining student health center websites for contraception information can reveal important systemic gaps, especially at universities that serve nontraditional or vulnerable groups. An ongoing review is necessary to ensure equal access for all college students.
由于大学生健康中心被许多年轻人认为是可靠的信息来源，我们评估了其网站上避孕信息的存在情况。
我们使用一种专为公共卫生研究设计的软件工具（在线健康信息定量测量），于 2020 年 7 月至 9 月期间，在美国所有 591 所公立四年制大学的学生健康中心网站上，检查了避孕和生殖健康的四大类别的在线信息获取情况（长效可逆避孕/注射剂、避孕药、避孕套、巴氏涂片检查）。我们使用逻辑回归模型记录了与信息差异相关的因素。
我们的样本包括 545 所公立大学，其中排除了那些信息不可用的大学。在我们样本中的 357 所（66%）大学中，我们发现了一些与避孕相关的信息。每增加 1%的佩尔助学金获得者（代表低收入学生的入学比例），则与避孕信息存在的可能性降低 3%至 6%（0.01<p<0.05）。每增加 1%的女性学生，与避孕信息存在的可能性增加 3%至 6%（0.01<p<0.1）相关。提供医学学位的大学在其网站上提供 LARC/注射剂信息的可能性高 82%（p<0.1）。学生人数超过 10000 人的大学在其网站上提供避孕信息的可能性是学生人数较少的大学的近四倍（p<0.01）。
大学生健康中心网站上的避孕信息与与学生人口统计、机构特征和大学位置等诸多因素相关。
检查学生健康中心网站上的避孕信息可以揭示重要的系统差距，特别是在为非传统或弱势群体服务的大学。需要进行持续审查，以确保所有大学生都能平等获得。
