Varnum Alexandra Aponte, Velasquez David A, Codrington Jason, Evans Aymara, Dubin Justin M, Ramasamy Ranjith
Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Urology/Andrology, Memorial Healthcare System, Miami, FL, USA.
Ther Adv Reprod Health. 2024 Dec 27;18:26334941241309890. doi: 10.1177/26334941241309890. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
Reproductive health technology has evolved significantly since the introduction of in vitro fertilization in 1978, enhancing the possibility of conceiving children at later stages in life. Despite these advancements, there remains a critical gap in fertility knowledge among young adults, as demonstrated by recent studies. This gap is compounded by the growing influence of social media on health information, where misinformation can distort public understanding of fertility-related issues. Addressing this knowledge deficit is essential for empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their reproductive futures.
With the increasing prevalence of older individuals becoming parents and the growing reliance on Assisted Reproductive Technologies for conception, our study aimed to assess fertility knowledge among young adults.
This study employed a survey-based approach using Amazon's crowd-sourcing marketing platform, Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Participants were asked to complete a 17-question survey that included a section on demographic information. The questionnaire explored various aspects of knowledge and perceptions regarding male and female fertility.
The survey was completed by 983 participants aged 18-30, recruited through MTurk. Individuals outside this age range were excluded from the study. Participants received a $0.50 incentive for their participation.
Notably, a high percentage of respondents correctly identified the age range at which female fertility (70.4% of participants) declines, while fewer (56.4% of participants) demonstrated awareness of the age range at which male fertility declines. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority exhibited appropriate knowledge regarding the impact of lifestyle factors, such as obesity and smoking, on fertility. The findings suggest an encouragingly high level of awareness among participants regarding fundamental fertility concepts. Approximately 63% of participants reported social media as a source of this information.
This study yields promising insights into fertility knowledge among young adults. However, it underscores a notable deficiency in understanding male fertility, emphasizing the imperative for further educational initiatives in this domain. These results also highlight the crucial role of healthcare providers in maintaining an online presence to disseminate valuable, evidence-based knowledge. By doing so, healthcare professionals can empower individuals to make informed decisions regarding fertility.
自1978年体外受精技术问世以来，生殖健康技术取得了显著进展，提高了人们在生命后期受孕的可能性。尽管有这些进步，但近期研究表明，年轻人在生育知识方面仍存在重大差距。社交媒体对健康信息的影响日益增大，错误信息会扭曲公众对生育相关问题的理解，这使这一差距更加复杂。解决这一知识 deficit 对于使个人能够就其生殖未来做出明智决策至关重要。
随着大龄父母的患病率不断上升以及对辅助生殖技术受孕的依赖日益增加，我们的研究旨在评估年轻人的生育知识。
本研究采用基于调查的方法，利用亚马逊的众包营销平台“土耳其机器人”（MTurk）。参与者被要求完成一份包含17个问题的调查问卷，其中包括一个关于人口统计信息的部分。该问卷探讨了有关男性和女性生育的知识和认知的各个方面。
通过MTurk招募了983名年龄在18至30岁之间的参与者完成了该调查。年龄范围之外的个体被排除在研究之外。参与者因参与研究获得了0.50美元的奖励。
值得注意的是，很大比例的受访者正确识别了女性生育能力下降的年龄范围（70.4%的参与者），而较少比例（56.4%的参与者）知晓男性生育能力下降的年龄范围。此外，绝大多数人对肥胖和吸烟等生活方式因素对生育的影响表现出了适当的了解。研究结果表明，参与者对基本生育概念的认识水平令人鼓舞地高。约63%的参与者报告称社交媒体是获取此信息的来源。
本研究为年轻人的生育知识提供了有希望的见解。然而，它强调了在理解男性生育能力方面存在显著不足，凸显了在这一领域开展进一步教育举措的必要性。这些结果还凸显了医疗保健提供者在保持在线存在以传播有价值的、基于证据的知识方面的关键作用。通过这样做，医疗保健专业人员可以使个人能够就生育问题做出明智决策。
