Sample and Setting
There has been significant research conducted to track the effectiveness and feasibility of using social media and other technology in order to decrease transmissions of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). A study in Philadelphia created a social media-driven campaign that informed youth groups about STIs, especially HIV. The study focused on surveying users on their attitude and knowledge of STIs nine months after the campaign had started.
Additionally, the study compared STI testing at family planning clinics within the area a year before the launch and a year after. A sample of 1500 youths answered the survey, with 46% saying that they had never been tested and 70% replying that they would now plan to get tested within the next 6 months (Dowshen et al., 2015). A vital part of the study revealed that although the number of positive cases did not change after the campaign, the proportion of visitors that were tested for HIV and Syphilis had increased.
As such, it is possible to apply the methods of the study in Philadelphia with other factors to places that are risk zones within Miami for STIs. The sample size can be collected from local clinics or schools. Eligible participants will have to be exposed to social media prior to the survey or campaign and after it as well. The participants may be reached through schools or other social programs directed at the youth. Additionally, statistics from local clinics can be used to measure to track the number of cases or checkups, whether the tests end up being positive or not. Clinics and hospitals within Miami will be used for sampling, through data collected by the Florida Department of Health (Florida Department of Health, 2021). It would be possible to survey the participants directly through the social media campaign.
Sampling Strategy
The study will rely on quantitative data to determine the effectiveness of social media campaigns. The first step will require selecting the target population, which in this case will include youth aged between 15 and 18 in Miami. However, due to accessibility issues, the sample size may have to decrease and the sample set will have to narrow to a specific region of Miami. Selecting an area near clinics and hospitals would be beneficial. The most important aspects of the eligibility criteria include the access the participant has to social media, the access they have to medical care and their exposure to STI educational material prior and after interaction with the social media campaign.
The sampling plan will take into consideration the age groups of the participants, the time frame during which the samples will be collected and the factors which can influence the effectiveness of the campaign. They will include access to medical care, clinics in the surrounding area, and the independence of the participant to attend to their own health.
Research Design
The study will follow the true experimental research design method. Statistics in youth and STI numbers will be used as a control group. Other variables will be tracked to make sure they do not interfere with observing the impact of the social media campaign on checkups and cases in clinics. Although the sampling strategy focuses on quantitative data, tracking whether exposure to STI education increases the number of checkups at clinics, some qualitative research is required. As the campaign begins to expand, it is likely that the sampling group will be altered in accordance with successful surveys.
Participants may become informants to others in their social groups about the experiment and alter the sampling group in such a manner. Therefore, it is possible to conceptualize a time frame or a point of saturation for the design of the experiment.
References
Dowshen, N., Lee, S., Lehman, M. B., Castillo, M., Mollen, C. (2015). IknowUshould2: Feasibility of a youth-driven social media campaign to promote STI and HIV testing among adolescents in Philadelphia. AIDS and Behavior,19(2), 106–111. Web.
Florida Department of Health. (2021). Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). FLHealthCharts. Web.