Media Literacy News Post

Recent Research Findings on the Previous Sex Education Experiences of Community College Students

2024-02-21T14:38:12+00:00

February 21, 2024, Durham, NC – Though community college students make up nearly half of all U.S. undergraduate students, they are often overlooked by sexual and relationship health research. The limited amount of research on this population may make it difficult for community colleges to make evidence-based decisions about the types of resources and support they should provide to their students to promote their sexual health. Without accessible resources to learn about and manage their health, community college students may be at risk for unhealthy sexual and relationship behaviors. To address these gaps in research, iRT has been conducting the Community [...]

Recent Research Findings on the Previous Sex Education Experiences of Community College Students2024-02-21T14:38:12+00:00

Filling the Gaps in High School Sex Education in the United States

2024-01-19T20:24:30+00:00

January 18, 2024, Durham, NC – Providing high-quality, comprehensive sex education to high school students is an important part of supporting healthy sexual development and decision-making in adolescents. During adolescence, youth often begin or continue forming beliefs about sex and relationships, making decisions about their own sexual health and romantic relationships, and developing a healthy sexuality. When equipped with high-quality sexual health resources and knowledge, high school students may be able to make healthier decisions and form healthy beliefs about their sexual health. Research has shown that comprehensive school-based sex education may reduce teenage pregnancy rates and increase safe sex behaviors [...]

Filling the Gaps in High School Sex Education in the United States2024-01-19T20:24:30+00:00

Addressing the Nationwide Addiction Crisis with Media Literacy Education, Mentoring, Mindfulness, and More

2024-01-21T01:00:53+00:00

January 17, 2024, Durham, NC – The federal government and medical facilities across the United States have made substantial efforts to impede growth of the national opioid crisis, but trends in substance use have evolved in recent years making it increasingly difficult to thwart the addiction crisis. Updates on the decades-long opioid epidemic and prevention efforts have consistently made headlines as millions of Americans have faced opioid use disorders in the last three years. However, as rates of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl use continue to climb, it is vital to spread awareness of the pervasiveness of polysubstance use, in addition to [...]

Addressing the Nationwide Addiction Crisis with Media Literacy Education, Mentoring, Mindfulness, and More2024-01-21T01:00:53+00:00

iRT Publishes Chapter in Media Literacy and Media Education Research Methods: A Handbook

2023-11-18T02:57:02+00:00

November 17, 2023, Durham, NC – In an increasingly digital world, youth and adults are consistently exposed to a barrage of media messages. Some media messages include false or misleading information that may have a powerful influence on the beliefs and behaviors of consumers, particularly youth and young adults. Media literacy education is a growing, promising approach to helping youth and young adults become more active, rather than passive, consumers of media, so they can protect themselves from the potentially harmful impacts of exposure to misleading media messages on their beliefs and behaviors. Many media literacy education-based programs, such as those [...]

iRT Publishes Chapter in Media Literacy and Media Education Research Methods: A Handbook2023-11-18T02:57:02+00:00

iRT to Present at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s Annual Conference

2023-11-15T14:36:53+00:00

October 31, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Christina Dodson and Reina Evans-Paulson will present at the 2023 meeting of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s (SSSS) annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this November. Each year, SSSS invites professionals who conduct sexual research, who are interested in issues relating to sexuality, or whose work relates to sexual science to gather for networking opportunities, workshops, symposia, and presentations to share recent findings in sexual research and discuss topics related to sexuality. Dodson and Evans-Paulson will attend this year’s conference, which will be held November 16-19, 2023, to [...]

iRT to Present at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s Annual Conference2023-11-15T14:36:53+00:00

iRT Researchers to Present for the ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention Program

2023-07-19T12:56:13+00:00

July 19, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Reina Evans-Paulson and Christina Dodson will lead an interactive Zoom session for the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance’s ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention program on August 10, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The ECHO program is an international evidence-based model for training and peer-to-peer learning. The Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance invites staff at colleges, universities, and community colleges to join to discuss best practices in sexual and intimate partner violence primary prevention and new developments in peer education programs. Evans-Paulson and Dodson will present a session entitled [...]

iRT Researchers to Present for the ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention Program2023-07-19T12:56:13+00:00

iRT to Lead Media Literacy Education Workshop at the National Prevention Network Conference

2023-07-17T18:53:17+00:00

July 17, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Senior Research Scientist Dr. Janis Kupersmidt will lead an interactive workshop at the National Prevention Network (NPN) Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, on August 17, 2023, to discuss iRT’s research on the use of evidence-based media literacy education programs and strategies to prevent or reduce substance abuse. The NPN Conference hosts prevention professionals, coalition leaders, researchers, and federal partners annually to highlight recent research and best practices in the substance abuse prevention field. The theme of the 2023 session is “Advancing Prevention Science Through the Lens of Change: How Sweet It Is!” Dr. Kupersmidt will [...]

iRT to Lead Media Literacy Education Workshop at the National Prevention Network Conference2023-07-17T18:53:17+00:00

Latest Edition of Media Ready Spanish Incorporates New Substance Misuse Prevention Content

2023-07-19T17:30:07+00:00

March 16, 2023, Durham, NC – The fourth and newest edition of iRT’s evidence-based, instructor-led media literacy and substance misuse prevention program for middle school students, Media Ready Spanish, has been released. Media Ready Spanish provides youth with skills to critically analyze media content that contains harmful messages about alcohol, drugs, tobacco products, and vapes. The Spanish version of the program continues to use Latin American Spanish in the translations to provide teachers with the opportunity to present all instructional materials to their students in their native language. Through Media Ready’s series of 10 fully scripted, highly interactive lessons, students practice [...]

Latest Edition of Media Ready Spanish Incorporates New Substance Misuse Prevention Content2023-07-19T17:30:07+00:00

Journal of Health Communication Publishes iRT’s New Research on Media Aware Parent

2023-02-23T20:45:18+00:00

January 31, 2023, Durham, NC – Media Aware Parent, one of iRT’s self-paced, online prevention programs, is designed to equip parents of teens with the skills they need to engage in high-quality conversations with their children about sexual and relationship health, teach their children to think critically about media messages, and create effective family rules around media use. A previous paper published by Dr. Tracy Scull and her colleagues at iRT reported on the impact of the program after access to it for one month. At that point in time, the Media Aware Parent program improved parents-adolescent communication, and parents and [...]

Journal of Health Communication Publishes iRT’s New Research on Media Aware Parent2023-02-23T20:45:18+00:00

iRT Collaborates on a Cultural Adaptation of a Parent-Child Communication Program

2022-12-30T19:24:52+00:00

December 30, 2022, Durham, NC – Literature suggests that Latino parents, like other communities, lack confidence in their knowledge and ability to discuss sex and relationships with their kids. However, few resources are available to guide parents in communicating with their teenagers about sexual health, especially in a culturally relevant format. iRT’s self-paced, interactive online program, Media Aware Parent, is designed to help parents navigate conversations with their teenagers about sex, relationships, and media. Dr. Tracy Scull, Senior Research Scientist for iRT, and Dr. Mercedes M. Morales-Alemán, Assistant Professor for The University of Alabama, aim to adapt Media Aware Parent to [...]

iRT Collaborates on a Cultural Adaptation of a Parent-Child Communication Program2022-12-30T19:24:52+00:00
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