Johanna Haraldsson

Young men’s sexual and reproductive health: possibilities and challenges in Swedish Primary Health Care

Background

The knowledge of sexual and reproductive health for young men is scarce and mostly related to issues of sexually transmitted infections. However, international studies have shown that young men want to discuss sexual and reproductive health with a general practitioner. To do so, confidentiality is necessary. The purpose with this research project is to study prerequisites and needs for care relating to young men’s sexual and reproductive health within the context of Swedish primary health care.

Methods

The first study analyzes the need and prevalence of private and confidential health care when visiting the general practitioner by using a school-based questionnaire to youths 15 and 18 years old.

In study two and three a qualitative design will be used to describe young men’s sexual and reproductive health in general and need of health care from two different perspectives: from the view of the men (through individual in-depth interviews) and from the view of experienced health care workers (using focus groups).

Finally, the sexual and reproductive health will be described quantitatively using a questionnaire with both well established determinants as well as new aspects both from study two and three and from the literature.

Relevance

The prerequisites to develop the sexual and reproductive health services in Swedish primary health care are good, but more knowledge about the young men’s need for health care and their possibility to confidentiality is needed.