a Department of Social and Public Health, College of Health Sciences and Professions , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
b Department of Social Medicine, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
Ethn Health. 2018 Apr;23(3):339-352. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2016.1263285. Epub 2016 Nov 28.
Adequate knowledge of sexual health among young adults is a critical step in prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and maintenance of adult sexual health. Knowledge of specific barriers to accessing sexual health knowledge can help tailor approaches appropriately. The purpose of this paper was to identify sexual health knowledge barriers among Somali young adults in Ohio.
In-depth interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 27 Somali young adults aged 18-25 years. Using a grounded theory approach, a semi-structured interview guide comprising open-ended questions and probes was utilized to collect data. Data were analyzed and coded using constant comparative analysis.
Findings revealed sexual health knowledge barriers in the following broad categories: religion, culture and stigma. Cultural and religious norms were deemed an important influence on the community norms largely impacting sexual health knowledge due to stigma and fear of judgment. Participants overcame barriers by seeking information from external sources such as doctors, Internet and peers.
Study findings support an approach that will address sexual health barriers in the Somali immigrant young community at multiple levels: individual, interpersonal and community levels. A collaborative effort across religious, cultural and educational setting is necessary to tailor approaches that meet the needs of the priority group.
年轻人对性健康有足够的了解是预防性传播疾病和维护成人性健康的关键步骤。了解获取性健康知识的具体障碍可以帮助有针对性地调整方法。本文旨在确定俄亥俄州索马里青年成年人的性健康知识障碍。
对 27 名年龄在 18-25 岁的索马里青年成年人进行了便利抽样的深入访谈。采用扎根理论方法，使用开放式问题和探针的半结构化访谈指南收集数据。使用恒定性比较分析对数据进行分析和编码。
研究结果显示，性健康知识障碍主要存在于以下几个广泛的类别中：宗教、文化和耻辱感。文化和宗教规范被认为对社区规范有重要影响，主要是由于耻辱感和对评判的恐惧，影响了性健康知识。参与者通过向医生、互联网和同龄人等外部来源寻求信息来克服障碍。
研究结果支持一种方法，该方法将在多个层面上解决索马里移民青年社区的性健康障碍：个人、人际和社区层面。需要在宗教、文化和教育环境中进行跨领域的合作，以制定符合优先群体需求的方法。
