Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Msc Student, Medical Library & Information Science, Department of Medical Library & Information Science, Faculty of Paramedicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Biostatistics, Department of Biostatistics, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Medical Library & Information Science, Department of Medical Library and Information Science, Faculty of Paramedicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences,, Bushehr, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Considering the importance of sexual health literacy among youths, especially students, and the occurrence of health-threatening behaviors due to the spread and pollution of available information, this study endeavored to determine the level of sexual health literacy of students and its relationship with demographic variables.
Methods: This applied study was an analytical survey. The sample consisted of 387 students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. To collect data, the "Sexual Health Literacy of Iranian Adults" questionnaire was employed within four domains (access, reading and understanding, analysis and evaluation, and application).
Results: The average score of sexual health literacy of the students is higher than the average score of the report questionnaire, and among the components of sexual health literacy, "application" has the highest average and the "analysis and evaluation" has the lowest average. Paramedical faculty students had a lower average score than the students of other faculties. The variable score of reading and understanding in unmarried students was significantly lower than married students.
Conclusion: According to the results and the importance of sexual health literacy, it seems necessary for managers and policy makers to take appropriate decisions to increase the sexual health literacy skills of different groups, including youths, and take necessary plans, practical solutions, and serious steps.
Keywords
Main Subjects
2. Azadarmaki, Taghi, Sharifi-Saei, Mohammad Hossein, Ithari, Maryam, Talebi, Sahar. Ethnology of premarital sex patterns in Iran. Society for Cultural Studies 2010; 2(2): 1-34.
3. Aggleton, P. de Wit, J. Myers, T. Mont, J.D. New outcomes for sexual health promotion. Health Educ Res 2014; 29(4); 547-53. DOI: 10.1093/her/cyu033
4. Hamzehgardeshi Z, Shahhosseini Z, Moosazadeh M, Nematzadeh S. Factors Associated with Sexual and Reproductive Health Literacy: A Scoping Review. J Health Res Commun 2022; 8 (3) :96-110.URL: http://jhc.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-765-fa.html
5. Hamzah Soraati, Zainab; Shah Hosseini, Venus; Mouszadeh, Mahmoud; Nematzadeh, Samaneh. Factors associated with sexual and reproductive health literacy: a scoping review study. Journal of Community Health Research, Fall 2022; 3(8): 96-110.
6. Jamali, Bita, Maasoumi, Raziyeh, Mahmood Tavousi, Haeri Mehrizi, Ali Asghar, Zarei, Fatemeh. The status of sexual health literacy in Iranian women: A cross-sectional study. Int J Sex Health 2020; 32(4): 433-42.
7. Wong, Janet yuen-ha. Zhang, Wen. Wu, Yongda. An Interactive Web-Based Sexual Health Literacy Program for Safe Sex Practice for Female Chinese University Students: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23(3): e22564. doi:10.2196/22564
8. McDaid L, Flowers P, Ferlatte O, Young I, Patterson S, Gilbert M. Sexual health literacy among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: A conceptual framework for future research. Culture, Health & Sexuality. 2021; 23(2):207-23.
[DOI:10.1080/13691058.2019.1700307]
9. Damari B, Akrami F. Sexual Health Challenges in Iran and the Strategies for its Improvement. IJPCP 2021; 27 (2) :216-233. URL: http://ijpcp.iums.ac.ir/article-1-3284-fa.html
10. Gruskin S, Yadav V, Castellanos-Usigli A, Khizanishvili G, Kismödi E. Sexual health, sexual rights and sexual pleasure: Meaningfully engaging the perfect triangle. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. 2019; 27(1):29-40. [DOI:10.1080/26410397.2019.1593787]
11. Yousefzadeh, Sedigheh and Nameni, Fatemeh and Golmakani, Nahid and Najaf Najafi, Mona and Ebrahimi, Mahdi and Modarres Gharavi, Morteza. Investigating the Effects of Sex Education Based on Religious Education on Marital Adjustment in Married Women. The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility 2014; 16 (84): 10-19.
12. Maasoumi R, Tavousi M, Zarei F. Development and psychometric properties of sexual health literacy for adults (SHELA) questionnaire. Journal of Hayat 2019; 25 (1) :56-69.URL: http://hayat.tums.ac.ir/article-1-2849-en.html
13. Jones S, Norton B. On the limits of sexual health literacy: Insights from Ugandan schoolgirls. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education. 2007;1(4):285–305.
14. Panahi R, Kheiri M, Daronkolaei ZA, Arjeini Z, Taherpour M, Dehghankar L, Valinezhad S. J Educ Health Promot. 2021; 10:391.
15. Dehghankar L, Panahi R, Khatooni M & et al. The association between sexual health literacy and sexual function of women in Iran. J Educ Health Promot, 2022;11(11).
16. Jamali, Bita, Maasoumi, Raziyeh, Mahmood Tavousi, Haeri Mehrizi, Ali Asghar, Zarei, Fatemeh. The status of sexual health literacy in Iranian women: A cross-sectional study. Int J Sex Health 2020; 32(4): 433-42.
17. McMichael C, Gifford S. Narratives of sexual health risk and protection amongst young people from refugee backgrounds in Melbourne, Australia. Cult Health Sex. 2010;12(3):263–77.
18. Vongxay V, Albers F, Thongmixay S, Thongsombath M, Broerse JE, Sychareun V, et al. Sexual and reproductive health literacy of school adolescents in Lao PDR. PLoS One 2019;14: e0209.
19. Dabiri F, Hajian S, Ebadi A, Zayeri F, Abedini S. Sexual and reproductive health literacy of the youth in Bandar Abbas. AIMS Med Sci 2019; 6:318-25.
20. Simpson S, Clifford C, Ross K, Sefton N, Owen L, Blizzard L, et al. Sexual health literacy of the student population of the University of Tasmania: Results of the RUSSL study. Sex Health 2015; 12:207-16