“I just trust what Google says, it’s the Bible”: Exploring young, Black gay and other men who have sex with men’s evaluation of sexual health information sources in Toronto, Canada

Abstract

While sexual health literature identifies youths’ sexual health information sources and its impact on their sexual practices, little is known about the way youth evaluate the credibility of this information. This knowledge gap is significant among young, Black gay and other men who have sex with men (YBGM) who belong to intersectional populations disproportionately impacted by HIV and other STIs. We conducted a qualitative study using constructivist grounded theory to explore YBGM’s approaches to evaluating sexual health information sources’ credibility. Intersectionality and the socioecological model informed our analysis. We explored connections between social locations (e.g., race, sexual orientation) and socio-ecological environments and how their impact shaped YBGM’s evaluation of sexual health information. Findings revealed evaluation strategies varied by source: friends, the internet and healthcare providers. Friends’ information was deemed credible if they were older, shared social locations and provided embodied testimonials. Testimonials mirrored oral-traditions specific to Black populations where oral narratives help disseminate sensitive information in a culturally relevant way. Website selection was informed by YBGM’s social locations and ranged from being implicitly trusted to assessed by its association with established healthcare organizations. Many participants’ acceptance of healthcare providers’ information revealed patient-client power imbalances and a perception that providers’ actions reflected their institutions’ sexual health policies. Findings highlight a need for sexual health services to create culturally effective ways to disseminate information that accounts for the histories, contexts, and approaches YBGM use to identify credible sources of sexual health information.