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Sexual Health Sexual Health Society
Publishing on sexual health from the widest perspective

Sexual Health

Sexual Health

Sexual Health publishes contributions on sexual health from the widest perspectives including HIV/AIDS, STIs, issues of sexuality, and reproductive health. Read more about the journalMore

Editors-in-Chief: Jason Ong and Joseph Tucker

Publishing Model: Hybrid. Open Access options available.

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Latest

These articles are the latest published in the journal. Sexual Health has moved to a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 12 March 2024

SH23165Harm reduction and multidisciplinary consultations for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men practising chemsex based in a French infectious disease unit: patients’ characteristics and perceptions

Alexandre Aslan, David Lessard 0000-0002-1151-3763, Bertrand Lebouché, Iris Bichard, Bénédicte Loze, Eleonore Laussat and Jean-Michel Molina
 

Chemsex, a type of sexualised drug use, has been associated with potential harm among gay men and it is important to understand users’ experience of related services. Parisian men practising chemsex who attended harm reduction consultations in an infectious disease unit completed a questionnaire: most were frequent users, followed by specialists, and many had attended emergency services. Most were satisfied and reported reduced risks after consultations. Easily-accessible preventive and therapeutic services in centres attended by users may be beneficial.

Published online 04 March 2024

SH23166Barriers to engagement with testing for sexually transmitted infections within a UK-based young adult Black Caribbean community: a qualitative study

Gemma Heath 0000-0002-1569-5576, Kiranpal Kaur, Claire Farrow, Jonathan D. C. Ross and Rebecca Clarke
 

The Black Caribbean population have a disproportionately high burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study explored barriers to engagement with STI testing within a UK-based young adult Black Caribbean community. Engagement with STI testing in young adults from the Black Caribbean community is impacted by historically and culturally embedded practices and beliefs inherited through generations. Targeting these factors within interventions may be effective for increasing STI-testing, and thus reducing rates of STI-infection in this population.

Published online 27 February 2024

SH23171Adapting the Client Priority Rating Scale to better fit the sexual health counselling setting: a quality improvement study

Katherine Coote 0000-0002-8990-7295, Fiona O’Neill and Eve Slavich 0000-0002-6520-6195
 

Effective client triage is essential when demand for counselling exceeds capacity. We adapted an existing counselling triage tool to better fit the sexual health setting. Psychometric scales are useful tools in patient assessment and care, however, are best applied in combination with clinical judgement and peer consultation.

Published online 26 February 2024

SH23168Improving digital partner notification for sexually transmitted infections and HIV through a systematic review and application of the Behaviour Change Wheel approach

Will Kocur 0009-0006-6123-2413, Julie McLeod 0000-0001-6787-1511, Sonja Charlotte Margot Bloch 0000-0002-1779-8616, Jennifer J. MacDonald 0000-0002-3896-0846, Charlotte Woodward, Amelia McInnes-Dean, Jo J. Gibbs 0000-0001-5696-0260, John J. Saunders 0000-0003-3020-9916, Ann A. Blandford 0000-0002-3198-7122, Claudia Estcourt 0000-0001-5523-5630 and Paul Flowers 0000-0001-6239-5616
 

This paper systematically develops recommendations to improve current and future digital partner notification interventions. It takes findings from the published international literature and then uses tools from behavioural science to generate a series of simple recommendations. The recommendations should be further operationalised locally with key stakeholders for optimal impact.

Published online 26 February 2024

SH23181Juvenile probation officers delivering an intervention for substance use significantly reduces adolescents’ risky sexual behaviours

Rebecca L. Fix 0000-0002-5506-3960, Colleen S. Walsh, Ashli J. Sheidow 0000-0002-0081-6179, Michael R. McCart, Jason E. Chapman and Tess K. Drazdowski 0000-0002-2339-0780
 

This study aimed to address risky sexual behaviour among adolescents. We tested the effectiveness of a contingency management intervention by juvenile probation officers, primarily designed to address substance use, on reducing risky sexual behaviour among 218 adolescents on probation. Findings indicated this intervention reduced risky sexual behaviour over time. Interventions focused on individual risk behaviours among adolescents on probation populations can have positive ripple effects, evidencing a possible approach for underserved communities lacking clinician access.

Published online 22 February 2024

SH23141Inequities in PrEP use according to Medicare status in a publicly funded sexual health clinic; a retrospective analysis

Aaron Coleman, Ben John Maslen 0000-0003-3475-6247 and Rosalind Foster 0000-0002-8098-3718
 

HIV rates in Australia disproportionately affect men who have sex with men (MSM) born overseas compared with those who are Australian-born. One explanation may be Medicare eligibility which can affect access to affordable healthcare including HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This population remains under-researched as they are not captured in routinely collected prescribing data. This study demonstrates that MSM without Medicare accessing a publicly funded sexual health clinic in Sydney are less likely to be on HIV PrEP than MSM who do have Medicare.

Published online 19 February 2024

SH23178Chlamydia retesting remains low among young women in Australia: an observational study using sentinel surveillance data, 2018–2022

Stephanie C. Munari 0000-0002-2296-7787, Anna L. Wilkinson, Jason Asselin, Louise Owen, Phillip Read, Robert Finlayson, Sarah Martin 0000-0002-9325-1647, Charlotte Bell, Catherine C. O’Connor, Allison Carter 0000-0003-2151-2622, Rebecca Guy, Anna McNulty 0000-0003-3174-1242, Rick Varma 0000-0002-0402-0506, Eric P. F. Chow 0000-0003-1766-0657, Christopher K. Fairley 0000-0001-9081-1664, Basil Donovan, Mark Stoove, Jane L. Goller 0000-0001-5580-360X, Jane Hocking 0000-0001-9329-8501, Margaret E. Hellard and
 

Chlamydia remains as the most notified bacterial sexually transmissible infection in Australia and repeat infections can lead to significant reproductive complications, particularly for women. Guidelines recommended retesting at 3 months following a chlamydia diagnosis, but current retesting rates in line with guidelines are low, and re-infections are common. Increased efforts to improve timely retesting can aid in earlier identification, management and reduced risk of disease burden.

Published online 06 February 2024

SH23189The shadow pandemic: rising syphilis rates in the wake of coronavirus (COVID-19)

Rhea Ahuja 0000-0003-3314-1734, Nilam Singh, Kaushal K. Verma and Somesh Gupta 0000-0003-3015-8602
 

Post-COVID, there has been a notable surge in syphilis cases, with a 38% increase reported in 2021 compared to 2019, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Analysis of our clinic’s data over 8 years spanning from 2015 to 2023 also showed a steady rise from 2020 to 2023, particularly among males. This trend contrasts with the overall decline in clinic attendance during the pandemic. Contributing factors include an increase in online sexual activity (seeking sexual partners online) and diverted healthcare resources towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Urgent measures are reinforced surveillance and public health response, heightened awareness, and the provision of early and cost-free treatment to address this escalation of syphilis cases.

Published online 01 February 2024

SH23158A qualitative review of social media sharing and the 2022 monkeypox outbreak: did early labelling help to curb misinformation or fuel the fire?

Maria E. Dalton 0000-0002-1382-8953, Robert Duffy, Emma Quinn 0000-0003-3130-259X, Kristian Larsen 0000-0003-1056-1867, Cheryl Peters 0000-0003-1202-5689, Darren Brenner, Lin Yang and Daniel Rainham 0000-0002-3932-2942
 

Ever present in our digital world, misinformation continues to threaten public health efforts and, in some cases, stigmatises specific groups. Our work investigated the evolving rhetoric surrounding monkeypox (mpox) during the 2022 outbreak on Instagram, discovering that perhaps early dialogue singling out men who have sex with men shifted discussions online to combat this misinformation. By understanding the way misinformation is spread, we can better protect against it and create improved communication strategies.

Published online 29 January 2024

SH23129Acute facial neuralgia related to initiation of emtricitabine/tenofovir for HIV PrEP: a report of two cases in a PrEP demonstration trial

Zhuoheng Yin 0009-0006-7012-5986, Rayner Kay Jin Tan, Joseph D. Tucker 0000-0003-2804-1181, Quanmin Li, Renslow Sherer, Linghua Li and Weiming Tang 0000-0002-9026-707X
 

HIV PrEP is widely recommended as a crucial measure for HIV prevention. In a demonstration trial in China, this article highlights two cases where facial neuralgia emerged as an unexpected side effect of PrEP medication, not previously mentioned in official prescribing information. These findings deepen our understanding of the potential side effects of emitricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate use and provide empirical evidence to enhance PrEP implementation further and address the challenges that may arise during its utilisation.

Published online 29 January 2024

SH23164Conceptions of sexual health by gay men living with HIV in serodifferent couples in Montreal, Canada: results from a qualitative analysis

Francesco Avallone 0000-0003-1853-7730, Kim Engler 0000-0001-8364-7421, Joseph Cox 0000-0002-7041-1556, Ford Hickson 0000-0003-0395-374X, David Lessard 0000-0002-1151-3763, Jeanne Bourdon, Réjean Thomas and Bertrand Lebouché 0000-0002-1273-9393
 

Sexual health is a complex, multi-dimensional concept; however, much research on the topic is focused on sexually transmitted infections and risk reduction. Given their status as a key population for sexual health promotion, we interviewed 10 gay men living with HIV about the meaning of sexual health. While all mentioned sexual health care and safer sex (e.g. HIV management), most also addressed intimacy and relationships and well as positive sexuality as key components of sexual health.

Published online 25 January 2024

SH23056Sexual pleasure and HIV-related worry in female sex workers on oral pre-exposure prophylaxis in south-western Uganda

Lydia Jacenta Nakiganda 0000-0002-2284-8411, Benjamin R. Bavinton 0000-0001-5834-8278, Isobel Mary Poynten, David Serwadda, Jeremiah Mulamba Bazaale and Andrew E. Grulich
 

There is more to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) other than the health benefits. Usually, the important social benefits are less considered yet they could reveal much more. As interest intensifies, the social benefits should be incorporated more to tell us what we are missing about PrEP, that could be important globally in the use of this drug. Being less worried about a drug and enjoying sex without worry means ‘confidence’ about a drug that could be vital for future uptake.

Published online 15 January 2024

SH23102Lived experiences with pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake and adherence among transgender women in Thailand: a qualitative study

Rena Janamnuaysook 0000-0002-8054-482X, Yan Guo, Yeon Jung Yu, Nittaya Phanuphak 0000-0002-0036-3165, Surinda Kawichai, Karen MacDonell, Thidarat Jupimai, Chokechai Rongkavilit and Bo Wang 0000-0001-5132-7685
 

This study aimed to provide a deeper understanding of transgender women’s experiences of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and adherence, and to identify major barriers to PrEP use to inform intervention adaptation. We interviewed 20 young transgender women and 10 health care providers from two HIV clinics in Bangkok, Thailand. Our findings deepen the current understanding of barriers to PrEP use, and inform the development of effective interventions to promote PrEP use.

Published online 15 January 2024

SH23098The provision of sexual and reproductive health information and services to travellers: an exploratory survey of Australian travel medicine clinicians

Sarah Warzywoda 0000-0002-9149-1962, James A. Fowler 0000-0001-5716-5250, Joe Debattista, Deborah J. Mills, Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Jo Durham, Colleen L. Lau, Amy B. Mullens 0000-0002-0939-9842, Satrio Nindyo Istiko, Carlos Santaolaya, Juhi Malhotra 0009-0004-5250-1736 and Judith A. Dean 0000-0002-2513-2013
 

International travel can increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases including sexually transmissible infections and human immunodeficiency virus. This study explored how travel medicine clinicians integrate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services into clinical practice. Our findings highlighted gaps in the provision of pre-travel consultation and training needs for SRH among travel medicine clinicians, and the potential for improved promotion of sexual health among travellers to provide important public health benefits for individuals and the wider community.

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These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

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