Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Althou... more Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Although EC has become increasingly available, little is known about perceptions of young adults regarding access to EC access or whether information sources about EC relate to perceived access among young adults. Over a one-week period in November 2013, a self-report survey was administered to 352 college students (67% women) at the student union of a large, public university in the southeastern United States. The survey assessed three aspects of EC: perceived access, information sources, and prior use. Twenty-one percent of participants had used EC. Participants reported relatively high perceptions of access to EC, with females reporting higher perceptions of access than males. Prior to the study, 7.4% of students had never heard of EC; the remaining students had heard of EC from an average of four sources. Among women, hearing of EC from media, interpersonal, or health education sources was...
Background: HIV and other STIs disproportionately affect young African Americans, including colle... more Background: HIV and other STIs disproportionately affect young African Americans, including college students. Concurrent sexual partnerships, more common among younger people, may contribute to higher STI rates. However, we know little about attitudes and beliefs related to concurrency among this population. Methods: We surveyed African American students (n = 211) attending a large public university in the Southeast to gauge their attitudes, perceived norms and intentions in relation to concurrency. We also assessed students’ demographics and sexual behavior. Results: Most students were female (83%); mean age was 22. Most students (63%) reported sexual activity in the past 12 months and more than a quarter (28%) had a concurrent partnership in the past year. Overall students had negative attitudes towards concurrency (M=2.33, SD =1.07) and perceived the behavior to not be the norm among their peers (M=2.35, SD=1.05). Students also strongly indicated that they would end relationships...
To inform international research and policy, we conducted a meta-analysis of the experimental lit... more To inform international research and policy, we conducted a meta-analysis of the experimental literature on pictorial cigarette pack warnings. We systematically searched 7 computerised databases in April 2013 using several search terms. We also searched reference lists of relevant articles. We included studies that used an experimental protocol to test cigarette pack warnings and reported data on both pictorial and text-only conditions. 37 studies with data on 48 independent samples (N=33 613) met criteria. Two independent coders coded all study characteristics. Effect sizes were computed from data extracted from study reports and were combined using random effects meta-analytic procedures. Pictorial warnings were more effective than text-only warnings for 12 of 17 effectiveness outcomes (all p<0.05). Relative to text-only warnings, pictorial warnings (1) attracted and held attention better; (2) garnered stronger cognitive and emotional reactions; (3) elicited more negative pack attitudes and negative smoking attitudes and (4) more effectively increased intentions to not start smoking and to quit smoking. Participants also perceived pictorial warnings as being more effective than text-only warnings across all 8 perceived effectiveness outcomes. The evidence from this international body of literature supports pictorial cigarette pack warnings as more effective than text-only warnings. Gaps in the literature include a lack of assessment of smoking behaviour and a dearth of theory-based research on how warnings exert their effects.
. This study used digital surveillance to examine the impact of Angelina Jolie&am... more . This study used digital surveillance to examine the impact of Angelina Jolie's prophylactic mastectomy announcement on cancer information seeking. . We analyzed 4 categories of breast cancer-related Internet search queries from 2010 to 2013 in the United States. . Compared with the preceding 6 weeks, general information queries were 112% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79-146) higher the day of the announcement and remained 35% (95% CI, 22-49) higher over the week after the editorial. Risk assessment queries were 165% (95% CI, 110-222) higher the day of the announcement and 52% (95% CI, 31-75) higher across the week. Genetics and treatment queries showed little volume before the announcement but increased 2154% (95% CI, 1550-7076) and 9900% (95% CI, 3196-1,064,000) the day of, respectively, and remained higher across the week (812% [95% CI, 402-3913] and 2625% [95% CI, 551-317,000]). All query categories returned to normal volumes by the beginning of the second week. . Jolie's unique announcement spurred significant information seeking about breast cancer genetic testing and treatment procedures, although the surge in queries returned to preannouncement levels after 1 week. Future research should apply digital methods to advance our understanding of cancer information seeking in the digital age.
Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2014
Condom use is critical for the health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many adolescents fa... more Condom use is critical for the health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many adolescents fail to use condoms consistently. One interpersonal factor that may be key to condom use is sexual communication between sexual partners; however, the association between communication and condom use has varied considerably in prior studies of youth. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the growing body of research linking adolescents' sexual communication to condom use, and to examine several moderators of this association. A total of 41 independent effect sizes from 34 studies with 15,046 adolescent participants (M(age) = 16.8, age range = 12-23) were meta-analyzed. Results revealed a weighted mean effect size of the sexual communication-condom use relationship of r = .24, which was statistically heterogeneous (Q = 618.86, p < .001, I² = 93.54). Effect sizes did not differ significantly by gender, age, recruitment setting, country of study, or condom measurement tim...
Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Althou... more Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Although EC has become increasingly available, little is known about perceptions of young adults regarding access to EC access or whether information sources about EC relate to perceived access among young adults. Over a one-week period in November 2013, a self-report survey was administered to 352 college students (67% women) at the student union of a large, public university in the southeastern United States. The survey assessed three aspects of EC: perceived access, information sources, and prior use. Twenty-one percent of participants had used EC. Participants reported relatively high perceptions of access to EC, with females reporting higher perceptions of access than males. Prior to the study, 7.4% of students had never heard of EC; the remaining students had heard of EC from an average of four sources. Among women, hearing of EC from media, interpersonal, or health education sources was...
Background: HIV and other STIs disproportionately affect young African Americans, including colle... more Background: HIV and other STIs disproportionately affect young African Americans, including college students. Concurrent sexual partnerships, more common among younger people, may contribute to higher STI rates. However, we know little about attitudes and beliefs related to concurrency among this population. Methods: We surveyed African American students (n = 211) attending a large public university in the Southeast to gauge their attitudes, perceived norms and intentions in relation to concurrency. We also assessed students’ demographics and sexual behavior. Results: Most students were female (83%); mean age was 22. Most students (63%) reported sexual activity in the past 12 months and more than a quarter (28%) had a concurrent partnership in the past year. Overall students had negative attitudes towards concurrency (M=2.33, SD =1.07) and perceived the behavior to not be the norm among their peers (M=2.35, SD=1.05). Students also strongly indicated that they would end relationships...
To inform international research and policy, we conducted a meta-analysis of the experimental lit... more To inform international research and policy, we conducted a meta-analysis of the experimental literature on pictorial cigarette pack warnings. We systematically searched 7 computerised databases in April 2013 using several search terms. We also searched reference lists of relevant articles. We included studies that used an experimental protocol to test cigarette pack warnings and reported data on both pictorial and text-only conditions. 37 studies with data on 48 independent samples (N=33 613) met criteria. Two independent coders coded all study characteristics. Effect sizes were computed from data extracted from study reports and were combined using random effects meta-analytic procedures. Pictorial warnings were more effective than text-only warnings for 12 of 17 effectiveness outcomes (all p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;0.05). Relative to text-only warnings, pictorial warnings (1) attracted and held attention better; (2) garnered stronger cognitive and emotional reactions; (3) elicited more negative pack attitudes and negative smoking attitudes and (4) more effectively increased intentions to not start smoking and to quit smoking. Participants also perceived pictorial warnings as being more effective than text-only warnings across all 8 perceived effectiveness outcomes. The evidence from this international body of literature supports pictorial cigarette pack warnings as more effective than text-only warnings. Gaps in the literature include a lack of assessment of smoking behaviour and a dearth of theory-based research on how warnings exert their effects.
. This study used digital surveillance to examine the impact of Angelina Jolie&amp;amp;amp;am... more . This study used digital surveillance to examine the impact of Angelina Jolie&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s prophylactic mastectomy announcement on cancer information seeking. . We analyzed 4 categories of breast cancer-related Internet search queries from 2010 to 2013 in the United States. . Compared with the preceding 6 weeks, general information queries were 112% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79-146) higher the day of the announcement and remained 35% (95% CI, 22-49) higher over the week after the editorial. Risk assessment queries were 165% (95% CI, 110-222) higher the day of the announcement and 52% (95% CI, 31-75) higher across the week. Genetics and treatment queries showed little volume before the announcement but increased 2154% (95% CI, 1550-7076) and 9900% (95% CI, 3196-1,064,000) the day of, respectively, and remained higher across the week (812% [95% CI, 402-3913] and 2625% [95% CI, 551-317,000]). All query categories returned to normal volumes by the beginning of the second week. . Jolie&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s unique announcement spurred significant information seeking about breast cancer genetic testing and treatment procedures, although the surge in queries returned to preannouncement levels after 1 week. Future research should apply digital methods to advance our understanding of cancer information seeking in the digital age.
Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2014
Condom use is critical for the health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many adolescents fa... more Condom use is critical for the health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many adolescents fail to use condoms consistently. One interpersonal factor that may be key to condom use is sexual communication between sexual partners; however, the association between communication and condom use has varied considerably in prior studies of youth. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the growing body of research linking adolescents' sexual communication to condom use, and to examine several moderators of this association. A total of 41 independent effect sizes from 34 studies with 15,046 adolescent participants (M(age) = 16.8, age range = 12-23) were meta-analyzed. Results revealed a weighted mean effect size of the sexual communication-condom use relationship of r = .24, which was statistically heterogeneous (Q = 618.86, p < .001, I² = 93.54). Effect sizes did not differ significantly by gender, age, recruitment setting, country of study, or condom measurement tim...
Uploads
Papers by Diane Francis