Moreno and her colleagues randomly selected 500 MySpace profiles from
people who reported their age as 18.
They found that 54 percent of the profiles contained information on
risky behaviors, with 24 percent referencing sexual behaviors, 41 percent
referring to substance abuse and 14 percent posting violent
information.
Factors associated with a decreased risk of posting risky behaviors
included displaying religious involvement or involvement with sports or
hobbies.
the researchers randomly selected 190 profiles of
people between 18 and 20 who displayed risky behaviors, such as sexual
information. Half were sent an e-mail from a physician that pointed out
that the physician had noticed risky behavior on their profile and
suggested changing the displayed information. The e-mail message also
provided information on where to be tested for sexually transmitted
diseases.
Almost 14 percent of those who got the e-mail deleted references to
sexual behavior, compared with 5 percent of the others.
