ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Sexuality is an important part of health, quality of life, and general well-being, yet studies suggest that less than half of patients' sexual concerns are known by their physicians and that physicians are unaware of how common sexual concerns are among patients. The objective of this study was to determine the type and prevalence of sexual concerns among a randomly selected sample of women enrolled for health care at a military community hospital. METHODS: A randomized mail survey was used. Of 593 eligible participants, 232 responded (39%). Main outcome measures were self-reported sexual concerns and sociodemographic data. RESULTS: A total of 90.9% of women reported one or more sexual concerns. Most frequently reported sexual concerns were lack of interest (88.6%), difficulty with orgasm (81.2%), body image concerns (80.4%), inadequate lubrication (76.1%), dyspareunia (75.1%), needing information about sexual issues (75.1%), and unmet sexual needs (63.4%). More than half (65.2%) reported concerns of physical or sexual abuse, and more than half (53.1%) reported sexual coercion at some point in their lives. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate a high prevalence of sexual health concerns for women enrolled for health care in a military community hospital. The implication for clinical practice is that sexual health inquiry should be a regular and important part of health care maintenance.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Military Medicine , Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological/epidemiology , Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological/psychology , Spouses/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Female , Health Surveys , Hospitals, Community , Hospitals, Military , Humans , Middle Aged , Needs Assessment , Prevalence , Surveys and Questionnaires , Washington/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Sexuality is an important part of health, quality of life, and general wellbeing. Studies indicate that less than half of patients' sexual concerns are known by their physicians, and physicians are unaware of how common these sexual concerns are in their practices. Our objective was to determine the prevalence and type of sexual concerns among women seeking routine gynecological care. METHODS: We mailed the survey in waves. Of 1480 women seeking routine gynecological care from the departments of Family Practice and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Madigan Army Medical Center between August 1992 and January 1993, 964 responded. The main outcome measures were self-reported sexual concerns and their experiences with discussing these concerns with a physician. RESULTS: A A total of 98.8% of the women we surveyed reported one or more sexual concerns. The most frequently reported concerns were lack of interest (87.2%), difficulty with orgasm (83.3%), inadequate lubrication (74.7%), dyspareunia (71.7%), body image concerns (68.5%), unmet sexual needs (67.2%), and needing information about sexual issues (63.4%). More than half reported concerns about physical or sexual abuse, and more than 40% reported sexual coercion at some point in their lives. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that sexual health concerns are prevalent for women seeking routine gynecological care. Sexual health inquiry should be a regular and important part of health care maintenance.
