Exploring gender differences in sexual and reproductive health literacy among young people from refugee backgrounds

Young refugees often have limited access to sexual health information and resources in their places of resettlement. However, there is currently little research examining differences in sexual health literacy between young refugee men and women. Consequently, this study employed qualitative research...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Culture, health & sexuality health & sexuality, 2020-04, Vol.22 (4), p.369-384
Main Authors: Kaczkowski, Wojciech, Swartout, Kevin M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Confidentiality
Embarrassment
Gender differences
Health education
Health information
Health insurance
Health literacy
Health services
Information sources
Men
migrants
Money
Peers
Qualitative research
Refugees
Relocation
Reproductive health
Research methodology
Sex education
Sexual behavior
Sexual health
Shame
Teachers
Transportation
USA
Women
young people
Youth
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Summary:Young refugees often have limited access to sexual health information and resources in their places of resettlement. However, there is currently little research examining differences in sexual health literacy between young refugee men and women. Consequently, this study employed qualitative research methods to better understand sexual health literacy, sources of information and perceived barriers to access across groups of refugee men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 years old. Three focus groups and 12 interviews were conducted with 25 refugee men and women living in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Both men and women appeared to have limited knowledge about sexual health. School was their primary source of information; women also talked with their parents, whereas men preferred to reach out to teachers, peers and online sources. For both groups, barriers to access included language difficulties and lack of money, insurance and transport. Men also stressed concerns about confidentiality, whereas women focused on shame and embarrassment when discussing sexual health. Overall, study findings emphasise the need for sexual health education as part of resettlement services. Moreover, programmes need to be independently designed for men and women to address gender differences in sexual health literacy and concerns.
ISSN:1369-1058
1464-5351
DOI:10.1080/13691058.2019.1601772