JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

To optimize people’s knowledge in sexuality and reproductive health (SRH) matters in Rwanda, among available communication approaches, social media platforms such as YouTube can be used to educate people in their reproductive age about healthy and non-risky sexuality and reproductive health practices and behaviors. However, there is a paucity of evidence to ascertain the authenticity of SRH on Kinyarwanda YouTube to know the extent to which SRH is covered, the characteristics of available videos, and the themes covered by those videos.

Objective:

•To determine the prevalence of videos about sexuality and reproductive health issues uploaded on Kinyarwanda YouTube channels. •To describe the characteristics of available videos in Kinyarwanda about sexuality and reproductive health issues uploaded on identified channels. •To identify the themes covered by retrieved Kinyarwanda videos covering sexuality and reproductive health issues •To determine the trend at which the YouTube video channels have been used to communicate about SRH during Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods:

Using a content analysis approach, the current study searched the Kinyarwanda Youtube channels to analyze videos about sexuality and reproductive health posted on YouTube. The study adapted a framework by Kim et al to guide the data collection process; mainly in developing and applying search filters. We included all types of videos be it visual or audio regardless of their length. To be included, an audio and/or a visual video had to be in Kinyarwanda and the video had to be directed to the general public but more specifically young people, adult men, and women in the age of reproductive age (15 to 49 years old). Descriptive statistics constituting of frequency and percentages were computed to characterize the basic characteristics of retrieved channels, portrayal of the videos, and presentation of sexuality and reproductive health themes that emerged from retrieved videos. Further analysis involved the computation of cross-tabulations to explore if there were any associations between: i. Focus of the channel and the date when the channel was opened ii. Focus of the channel and who was involved in the video.

Results:

The YouTube search retrieved 21,506 videos that tackled sexuality and reproductive health topics. The current study found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a fourfold increase (from 7.2% before to 30.6%) of the channels that solely focused on sexually explicit content. The majority of retrieved videos (84%) tackled the topic of sexuality with sexually explicit content predominantly found in the majority of these videos (79%, n=1082), and only 16% (n=287) of the videos covered reproductive health matters.

Conclusions:

This is the first study that has analyzed the use of YouTube in communicating about sexuality and reproductive health in the Kinyarwanda language. The current study relied on the videos that appeared online during the study period. Further research should gather information about who access the videos, and how channel owners and individuals involved in the videos perceive the impact of their videos on the Rwandan community’s sexuality.