The Sexual Health Center in Nashville, Tennessee provides confidential testing, treatment and counseling services to those who suspect they have been or may have been exposed. This study reveals that it is also necessary to consider the broader impacts that sexual health problems and interventions can have on a person's family, friendships, and relationships. Existing evidence suggests that very few economic studies on sexual health adopt a broader perspective in their analyses and, in the case of those that claim to adopt that perspective, the types of costs considered tend to be limited. When looking at sexual health provision for women, it is closely related to reproductive health.
The experts also explained the relationship between sexual health and education in terms of the costs and benefits of comprehensive sex education and sexual health education in schools. Sexual health is a broad concept and the World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as “a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being related to sexuality”. The Siloam Family Health Center was established as a neighborhood clinic designed to address not only the physical needs, but also the emotional and spiritual needs of patients with limited resources who suffer due to a lack of health insurance. The participants in the interviews highlighted the holistic nature of sexual health, which meant that there was a wide range of impacts on other areas of health and on different sectors of society. Even when it exists, young people can understand what sexuality means and what sex life and sexual health mean, but in real life they can still face some problems.
The objectives of this study were (to explore the different intersectoral costs and benefits associated with sexual health problems and interventions), (to classify them into sectors) and (to develop a preliminary framework to better understand these intersectoral impacts and guide future research and policies); to use in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviewer (LS) used an interview protocol that contained a set of open-ended questions to analyze the broader and potentially relevant social costs and benefits associated with sexual health services or interventions. The education sector and, in particular, the provision of sexual health education, were considered to play a key role in promoting good sexual health and well-being, preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and preventing unplanned adolescent pregnancies. This study provides an overview of the availability of mental health services related to sexual health in Nashville, Tennessee. It highlights the importance of considering the broader impacts that sexual health problems and interventions can have on individuals, families, friendships, relationships, as well as different sectors of society. It also emphasizes the need for comprehensive sex education and sexual health education in schools as a way to promote good sexual health and well-being.
