An Exploratory Examination of Social Media Use and Risky Sexual Practices: A Profile of Women in Rural Appalachia Who Use Drugs

HIV/HCV risk behavior among women who use drugs is often exacerbated within high risk networks. The use of social media platforms such as Facebook to identify sex partners within these high-risk networks has not been examined among rural Appalachian women who use drugs. This paper provides an exploratory examination of Facebook use to identify sex partners among rural Appalachian women who use drugs, as well as associated risky sexual practices. Rural Appalachian women were randomly selected from two rural jails, consented, screened for eligibility (including drug use), and interviewed prior to jail release. Findings indicated that using Facebook to meet sex partners was associated with exchanging sex for drugs or money and having a male casual partner during the same time frame. These study findings suggest that the use of social media for high-risk sexual practices may provide a valuable platform for intervention delivery, particularly in resource-deprived areas where formal prevention and treatment services are limited.