Policy: Build evidence to support local government adoption of participatory land revitalization programs Community/Culture: Support youth in making informed reproductive and sexual health decisions and staying safe online. The Problem Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) policies and access to care vary significantly across regions and over time. Differences in policy landscapes, political and economic systems, and cultural or religious contexts shape the unequal access to family planning, abortion care, contraception, and assisted reproductive technologies. Marginalized populations, especially younger women and those with fewer resources, experience disproportionate barriers in access to care and information. Contraceptive misinformation is emerging as an urgent yet understudied barrier to informed contraceptive use. The Approach To address this challenge, and working in an interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues in our Sexual & Reproductive Health Power Lab, our project uses mixed-methods to: Conduct a 12-month pilot with 330 emerging adult women aged 18-25 in California, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Identify misinformation on hormonal contraceptives in the participants’ information environments under different political contexts. Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Impact of Misinformation “Our work addresses a central reproductive justice question: How can we support young women in making informed, evidencebased health decisions? In a landscape clouded by misinformation and policy barriers, our research cuts through the noise to bring clarity and guidance.” - Joanna Mishtal, PhD Short-Term Impact Develop a survey instrument to assess misinformation exposure and its impact. Inform SRH practice by offering insights to providers, educators, and policymakers to improve how health information is communicated. Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers to address SRH disparities. Longer Term Impact Findings from this study will: Build a theoretical model linking information environments, navigation of information, and health decision-making. Guide health policy reforms to integrate evidence-based contraceptive education into public health messaging, school curricula, and provider training. Inform social media regulation to reduce and counter SRH misinformation. Societal Impact Funding will drive policies and cultural change that protect SRH rights, ensure access to accurate information, and promote evidence-based decisionmaking. The project offers societal benefits in the following areas: For more information visit https://health.lehigh.edu/research-partners or email INRSRCH@lehigh.edu 25 Education: Train providers and educators to address SRH misinformation and bias.
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