Sexual Health Services and Sexual Health Promotion Among Undergraduate Students in the Maritimes

Background: Sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies and other negative sexual health outcomes are well known threats to undergraduate university students' health and wellbeing. In addition, concerns about such issues as sexual assault and sexual identity, are common on university campuses. University students must be well served by student health services in order to reduce negative sexual health outcomes. In some cases student sexual health services are not delivered effectively to students nor do they meet the unique needs of students in Atlantic Canada. Objectives: This project, which involves researchers and university health program planners, in Maritime Canada, will implement a three year, action oriented, health policy research program as follows. Year one: Collect, analyze and summarize data on student sexual health care needs, priorities and health care delivery and promotion gathered through an online, anonymous and tested sexual health services questionnaire at eight universities in Maritime Canada. Year two: Through an integrative, knowledge translation process with knowledge users, students and sexual health researchers, identify and implement priority health care initiatives at all participating universities. Year three: Assessment of the knowledge translation and utilization process and health care changes. Impacts: We anticipate that our partners in this Maritime university project will be able to address their students' sexual health concerns and needs with meaningful data from the survey and collectively work toward developing solutions that will improve the reach, applicability and acceptability of sexual health care services and health promotion programs to undergraduate students. This project will help us improve sexual health services among undergraduate students and ultimately reduce associated the health and social burden associated with negative sexual health outcomes.