I was just starting to read this report, actually. For those of you who
haven't seen it yet, the latest issue of Developmental Psychology
focuses on the impact of the Internet on children and adolescents. It's
a treasure trove of youth-related Internet research. I just posted a
blog entry about another article in the journal focused on the impact of
at-home internet access on the academic performance of low-income youth.
There's also a link to the full journal articles, including the Ghana study.
http://www.pbs.org/learningnow
andy
Borzekowski, Dina wrote:
Just a follow up...
Over a year ago, I asked members of this list serve to contribute some
background information for a study examining Ghanaian adolescents' use
of the Internet.
Well - the results are now published in the latest issue of
Developmental Psychology. The Hopkins press release is below. Let me
know if you would like me to send you the entire article.
Regards, Dina
Dina Borzekowski, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Health, Behavior and Society
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
May 1, 2006
Internet May Be the Way to Send Youth Health Messages
In a study of Ghanaian teens and their Internet usage, Dina L.G.
Borzekowski, EdD, assistant professor in the Bloomberg School's
Department of Health, Behavior and Society, and her Ghanaian coauthors,
Julius Fobil and Kofi Asante, learned that approximately 53 percent of
teens from Ghana's capital city of Accra used the Internet to find
health information, regardless of their school status, gender, age or
ethnicity. The study is one of six articles about teens published today
in a special issue of Developmental Psychology.
"In a world where we can sometimes be quick to point out the negative,
this is a great example of the media being used in a positive way. The
Internet can be a good educational and public health tool for
hard-to-reach populations," said Borzekowski.
The authors surveyed a representative sample of 778 15- to 18-year-olds
living in Accra, Ghana, who were either in school or out of school.
Participating youth completed self-report surveys of their media use.
Whether it was for school, work or personal reasons, 52 percent of
out-of-school Internet users had tried to get health information, while
53 percent of in-school Internet users had done the same.
Of important social significance, said the authors was their finding
that teens who were not in school used the Internet as an alternative to
talking to their parents, who may have less formal education than the
parents of teens in school. "A lack of parental education or cultural
taboos regarding sexual topics may make it more difficult for many of
these [out-of-school] teens to get information on health and sex," said
Borzekowski.
"The Internet is making great strides for youth in developing
countries," said Borzekowski. "The far-reaching and positive use of the
Internet is invaluable for adolescents who want to find out more about
personal, sensitive and embarrassing issues related to their bodies,
relationships and health."
"Online Access by Accra's Adolescents: Ghanaian Teens' Use of the
Internet for Health Information" was authored by Dina L. G. Borzekowski,
Julius N. Fobil and Kofi O. Asante.
The study was supported by grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.
Public Affairs media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health: Kenna Lowe or Tim Parsons at 410-955-6878 or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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------------------------------
Andy Carvin
acarvin (at) edc . org
andycarvin (at) yahoo . com
http://www.andycarvin.com
http://www.digitaldivide.net
http://www.pbs.org/learningnow
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