Subject(s)
Behavior Therapy/organization & administration , Health Promotion/organization & administration , Sexual Behavior/psychology , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/prevention & control , Cultural Competency , Global Health , Humans , Inservice Training/organization & administration , Sexuality/psychologyABSTRACT
At the Hamburg Institute for Sex Research in Germany, a nationwide study is currently being carried out into the sexual experiences, attitudes and relationships of adults (18-75 years). The main focus of this pilot study is to test the comprehensibility and length of a data collecting instrument as well as the comparison of two data collecting methods with regard to reliability and representativeness of the results as well as of the refusal rate. To this end face-to-face interviews (n = 500) and questionnaires sent by post (n = 500) are to be compared with each other as methods. The data to be collected relates to sexuality, particularly the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The WHO definition of sexual health forms the basis for the study and thus connects up with the existing sex survey research in Europe and western industrial nations. Comparable surveys have been conducted over the past ten years in more than 30 European countries using a variety of methods. The focus of the study is placed upon the increase that has been observed for several years now in certain STIs. The article provides an overview of existing sex survey research in Europe. It becomes clear that the studies conducted so far are very heterogeneous with regard to chosen method, sampling techniques and the choice of content focus, so that no suitable data for cross-national comparability are currently available.
Subject(s)
Cross-Cultural Comparison , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Surveys , Sexual Behavior , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Europe , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Germany , HIV Infections/prevention & control , HIV Infections/transmission , Humans , Interview, Psychological , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/prevention & control , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/transmission , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: "Zanzu - my body in words and images" - zanzu.de is a multilingual web portal that brings together information about different aspects of sexual health. It was developed to address specific needs of migrants, including barriers to access. Zanzu provides quality-assured information on the topics of body, sexuality, HIV/STIs, family planning, sexuality and rights. METHOD: A few months after launching the web portal, a formative evaluation was conducted. The following questions were central in the evaluation: Can the web portal be used in the context of counseling? What experiences have there been with various types of deployment and how do intermediaries (i. e., counselors) assess the portal? RESULTS: The results confirm that Zanzu has already contributed positively to counselling migrants and that the comprehensive nature of the service is strongly welcomed. A few of the interviewees acknowledged it had been challenging to integrate a digital service into a conventional counselling session. In addition, there were questions about the suitability of some of the illustrations for all people being counselled. DISCUSSION: Access to information is a precondition to take self-determined decisions. This is equally true in the sensitive field of sexual and reproductive health. A few months after its launch, Zanzu has already succeeded in providing more information to an important population. The ideas for improvement that have been gathered in the framework of the present evaluation will be the basis for the ongoing development of Zanzu, making it even better able to meet the needs of different target groups and in different contexts.
