Assessment of Sexual Health Literacy and its Associated Factors in Women of Reproductive Age in Zahedan City
Journal of Medical Library and Information Science,
Vol. 6 No. 6 (2025),
5 Farvardin 2025
,
Page 1-13
https://doi.org/10.22037/jmlis.v6i6.50983
Abstract
Introduction: Sexual health literacy is one of the essential components in promoting women’s reproductive and mental health. This study aimed to investigate the sexual and reproductive health literacy level and its relevant factors in women of reproductive age referring to comprehensive health service centers in Zahedan, Iran, in 2024.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the reproductive age women referring to comprehensive health service centers in Zahedan city, Iran. The number of samples was determined 384 people. The data collection tool included a demographic information collection form and the Sexual Health Literacy for Adults (SHELA) self-report questionnaire with 40 questions in four subscales (access, reading and comprehension, analysis and evaluation, and application). The data were analyzed with SPSS software and statistical tests of descriptive indicators (mean, standard deviation, quartiles, and frequency), Pearson’s test for correlations, and analysis of variance for group comparisons.
Results: The raw score of sexual health literacy was 140.85 ± 22.70 and the total score on a scale of 0 to 100 was 63.03 ± 14.19. Among the dimensions of sexual health literacy, the dimensions of information application skills (0.9) and access skills (0.61) obtained the highest standard average score, and reading and comprehension skills (0.51) and analysis and evaluation skills (0.52) obtained the lowest standard average score. A significant relationship was shown between sexual health literacy and the variables of participation in premarital counseling classes, marital status, education level of the individual and his/her spouse, occupation, and field of study (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The overall level of sexual health literacy in this sample is relatively adequate, but the dispersion of scores and the wide range of values reveals significant inequalities between subgroups. It is suggested that targeted educational interventions be implemented in relevant centers such as schools, libraries, and premarital counseling centers to promote information literacy skills for lifelong learning of individuals, with a special focus on less advantaged groups.
- Sexual health literacy
- Women
- Reproductive health
- Iran
How to Cite
References
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