When Alberta Health Services deleted its social media accounts used to share sexual health information in March, it promised the same content would continue to be published on remaining social media channels.
A review of AHS social media shows the health agency hasn’t kept this commitment.
Accounts like Calgary Zone Sexual & Reproductive Health and Teaching Sexual Health were previously responsible for public awareness campaigns about consent, sexually transmitted infections, and region-specific health updates. AHS said these and 18 other accounts were removed as part of a consolidation of media channels and “to ensure all AHS accounts are sharing organization-approved content.”
Since these channels went dark, the types of sexual health content they provided haven’t appeared on AHS’ remaining social media feeds.
Sarah Hoffman, Alberta NDP health critic, said the apparent decline in public information sharing regarding sexual health by Alberta's government is "dangerous and irresponsible."
“It's important that everyone get as much information as they can. Sometimes that includes social media campaigns that can make some people feel a little uncomfortable, but STIs are way more uncomfortable. And so it's important that we share information with the public to help them make the best public health decisions possible for themselves,” Hoffman said.
A spokesperson for AHS said the organization uses various tools to engage Albertans on sexual health, including social media.
“Over the past year, we have supported targeted social media campaigns, public service announcements, and wellness articles to communicate vital sexual health and screening information,” they said in an email.
In a follow up email, AHS was asked to provide examples of these campaigns, as they don’t appear on AHS’ social media channels and aren't logged in the Meta Ad library, which provides information on ads that run on Meta platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
A spokesperson cited a campaign for preconception health targeting Albertans aged 18 to 44, which they said included Facebook and Instagram ads focused on reproductive life span, promoting healthy eating and physical activity, and folic acid for women wanting to get pregnant. Ads from the campaign provided by AHS can be seen below.
Recent surveys have identified growing gaps in sexual health knowledge among young Canadians, as well as rising rates of infection for common STIs. A report from LetsStopAIDS released in October found that 34 per cent of youth diagnosed with an STI or HIV didn’t get treatment, a 27 per cent increase compared to 2022, and identified a problematic decline in condom use.
A 2018 internal evaluation of AHS’s use of social media to promote healthy sexuality highlighted the ability of these health campaigns to reach the public. The Safer Sex Stampede and STI to Go Campaigns both increased engagement on AHS social media accounts by between 25 and 30 per cent.
The summary identified key challenges, such as the resource allocation and time management required to maintain the social media content, but indicated AHS was looking to expand onto emerging platforms and build team capacity in this area.
Hoffman said there are many avenues to provide people with vital health education, but distributing it through social media makes it accessible in a place the public already turns to for up-to-date information.
“I grew up in northern Alberta in a very small community, and everyone is on social media. Making sure that information is meeting people where they're at, I think, is one of the best things we can do,” Hoffman said.
