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Sex education for young people in the U.S. is inconsistent and often ineffective. The inability to access and understand sexual health information is linked to many negative health outcomes, including sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. While many interventions focus on giving adolescents and young adults access to comprehensive sex education, these interventions do not necessarily improve sexual health literacy, which is a major asset to improving sexual health.
In an article for the American Journal of Sexuality Education, CUNY SPH Associate Professor Spring Cooper, Clinical Professor Chris Palmedo, and colleagues from the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies say that sexual health podcasts can be effective in addressing this issue. Podcasts are a proven, effective tool to disseminate health information to a large population of people, the authors say, and can be particularly useful in increasing sexual health literacy by increasing access while eliminating logistical barriers and confidentiality issues.
The authors propose adding existing podcasts to sexual health curricula and including the creation and distribution of sexual health podcasts in sexual health grant schemes.
“With researchers and educators producing comprehensive podcasts aimed at improving sexual health literacy as translational research, the gap in adequate sexual health education can be closed, helping to improve overall sexual health in the United States,” says Dr. Cooper.
