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P8721  Promoting Sexual Health: Theories and Strategies

Sexuality has long been a public health concern, although this concern has been primarily limited to the field of reproductive health. In recent years, however, due in large part to the AIDS epidemic, public health researchers, policy makers and providers have taken up the issues of sexual health more generally. Sexual health is now considered a critical component of people's well-being and a plethora of theoretical and applied initiatives have been and are being developed around the world to promote the sexual health. It is a critical and innovative time for the field and important debates have begun to emerge over what defines sexual health and what a public health approach to the promotion of sexual health should look like. This course offers a broad overview of theoretical foundations and empirically informed intervention strategies aimed at promoting sexual health. Specific topics include theoretical foundations for the promotion of sexual health, including cognitive-behavioral, cultural and structural approaches; and the tension between population and community-based intervention strategies. In addition, the course includes detailed reviews of existing intervention models conducted in both U.S. and developing country settings, thus providing opportunities to examine how particular theoretical affiliation, specific program and policy guidelines, and the characteristics of different communities inform the conceptualization, intervention and evaluation of strategies to promote sexual health.

3 points