Pfender and co-investigator Marie Devlin wanted to know what influencers were saying about sexual health and birth control. They analyzed the content of 50 YouTube videos of lifestyle and fitness influencers with at least 20,000 followers posted between December 2019 and 2021.
Their findings, published in the journal Health Communication, showed nearly three-quarters of the influencers mentioned they had discontinued hormonal birth control such as oral contraceptive pills and injectable contraception, as part of a larger wellness trend and a desire to live a healthy lifestyle.
“They want to be as natural as possible, more in touch with their body, and feel empowered by being natural,” Pfender said.
The researchers also found the videos contained inaccurate or incomplete information about birth control, which could mislead followers who perceived them as credible. Vulnerable audiences could misinterpret the advice and increase their risk of unplanned pregnancies.
For example, 40% of the influencers mentioned switching to non-hormonal birth control. Of those who did, 30% used digital fertility tracking technology such as the Daysy app. As a natural family planning method, the app helps women monitor and record their daily basal body temperatures to track their ovulation.
However, Daysy may not be a reliable form of birth control. While a study published in the journal Reproductive Health showed the Daysy tracker to be 99.4 percent effective, the journal later retracted the article, saying the methodology used to determine that number was flawed.
“None of [the influencers] talked about that,” Pfender said of the retraction. “They still kept saying, ‘Yeah, it's 99% effective’ when we know it's not because the study was retracted.”
Few influencers discussed taking precautions when using non-hormonal birth control.
“Only two people mentioned using condoms,” Pfender said. “If you're tracking your cycle, they just said, ‘I don't have sex around that time.’ But we know that tracking cycles isn't 100% effective.”
Pfender continues to monitor social media for other potential sources of misinformation. She will also continue her research for her dissertation.
“This study was a content analysis, so it only describes influencer messaging,” Pfender said. “My dissertation is going to be a study that tells us how the messages affect people and their behavior. And basically, we'll be able to determine if these messages do affect the intention to use different types of birth control or talk to a doctor about birth control or look for more information on social media about it.”
Article by Stephanie Doroba, photo courtesy of Emily Pfender, illustration by Jeffrey C. Chase
Published March 24, 2023