scholarly journals Development of a Behavior Change Intervention to Improve Sexual Health Service Use Among University Undergraduate Students: Mixed Methods Study Protocol (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Cassidy ◽  
Audrey Steenbeek ◽  
Donald Langille ◽  
Ruth Martin-Misener ◽  
Janet Curran
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Sexual Health Service ◽  
University Undergraduate Students

BACKGROUND University students are at risk for acquiring sexually transmitted infections and suffering other negative health outcomes. Sexual health services offer preventive and treatment interventions that aim to reduce these infections and associated health consequences. However, university students often delay or avoid seeking sexual health services. An in-depth understanding of the factors that influence student use of sexual health services is needed to underpin effective sexual health interventions. OBJECTIVE In this study, we aim to design a behavior change intervention to address university undergraduate students’ use of sexual health services at two universities in Nova Scotia, Canada. METHODS This mixed methods study consists of three phases that follow a systematic approach to intervention design outlined in the Behaviour Change Wheel. In Phase 1, we examine patterns of sexual health service use among university students in Nova Scotia, Canada, using an existing dataset. In Phase 2, we identify the perceived barriers and enablers to students’ use of sexual health services. This will include focus groups with university undergraduate students, health care providers, and university administrators using a semistructured guide, informed by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour Model and Theoretical Domains Framework. In Phase 3, we identify behavior change techniques and intervention components to develop a theory-based intervention to improve students’ use of sexual health services. RESULTS This study will be completed in March 2018. Results from each phase and the finalized intervention design will be reported in 2018. CONCLUSIONS Previous intervention research to improve university students’ use of sexual health services lacks a theoretical assessment of barriers. This study will employ a mixed methods research design to examine university students’ use of sexual health service and apply behavior change theory to design a theory- and evidence-based sexual health service intervention. Our approach will provide a comprehensive foundation to co-design a theory-based intervention with service users, health care providers, and administrators to improve sexual health service use among university students and ultimately improve their overall health and well-being.

scholarly journals Designing an intervention to improve sexual health service use among university undergraduate students: a mixed methods study guided by the behaviour change wheel

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Cassidy ◽  
Audrey Steenbeek ◽  
Donald Langille ◽  
Ruth Martin-Misener ◽  
Janet Curran
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Behaviour Change Wheel ◽  
Sexual Health Service ◽  
University Undergraduate Students

Abstract Introduction University undergraduate students are within the population at highest risk for acquiring sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy, and other negative health outcomes. Despite the availability of sexual health services at university health centres, many students delay or avoid seeking care. In this study, we describe how the Behaviour Change Wheel was used as a systematic approach to design an intervention to improve sexual health service use among university undergraduate students. Methods This paper describes the intervention development phase of a three-phased, sequential explanatory mixed methods study. Phases one and two included a quantitative and qualitative study that aimed to better understand students’ use of sexual health services. In phase three, we followed the Behaviour Change Wheel to integrate the quantitative and qualitative findings and conduct stakeholder consultation meetings to select intervention strategies, including intervention functions and behaviour change techniques. Results Key linkages between opportunity and motivation were found to influence students’ access of sexual health services. Stakeholders identified six intervention functions (education, environmental restructuring, enablement, modelling, persuasion, and incentivization) and 15 behaviour change techniques (information about health consequences, information about social and environmental consequences, feedback on behaviour, feedback on outcomes of behaviour, prompts/cues, self-monitoring of behaviour, adding objects to the environment, goal setting, problem solving, action planning, restructuring the social environment, restructuring the physical environment, demonstration of the behaviour, social support, credible source) as relevant to include in a toolbox of intervention strategies to improve sexual health service use. Conclusions This study details the use of the Behaviour Change Wheel to develop an intervention aimed at improving university students’ use of sexual health services. The Behaviour Change Wheel provided a comprehensive framework for integrating multiple sources of data to inform the selection of intervention strategies. Stakeholders can use these strategies to design and implement sexual health service interventions that are feasible within the context of their health centre. Future research is needed to test the effectiveness of the strategies at changing university students’ sexual health behaviour.

University Students’ Self-Rated Health and Use of Health Services: A Secondary Analysis

2019 ◽  
pp. 084456211987004
Author(s):  
Emily MacLeod ◽  
Audrey Steenbeek ◽  
Margot Latimer ◽  
Amy Bombay
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
University Students ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Self Rated Health

Background University students belonging to various ethnic groups have specific health needs that influence their self-rated health and health service use. Purpose To examine which determinants of health serve as key predictors of self-rated health and health service use in a sample of ethnically diverse undergraduate students. Methods Data were abstracted from the 2012 Maritime Undergraduate Student Sexual Health Services Survey (N = 10,512). Logistic regression was used to explore the predictors of self-rated health and use of university-based health services according to ethnicity. Results Social support (Caucasian: odds ratio (OR) = 1.018; 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.008, 1.028]; African: OR = 1.890; 95% CI [1.022, 1.160]; Other: OR = 1.096; 95% CI [1.023, 1.175]), and depression risk (Caucasian: OR = .899; 95% CI [.844, .914]; Indigenous: OR = .904; 95% CI [.844, .969]; Asian: OR = .894; 95% CI [.839, .953]; Multiracial: OR = .892; 95% CI [.812, .980]) were the most frequent predictors of self-rated health across the different ethnic groups; while year of study (Caucasian: OR = 1.855; 95% CI [1.764, 1.952]; African: OR = 2.979; 95% CI [2.068, 4.291]; Indigenous OR = 1.828; 95% CI [1.371, 2.436]; Asian: OR = 1.457; 95% CI [1.818, 1.797]; Middle Eastern: OR = 1.602; 95% CI [1.088, 2.359]; Other: OR = 1.485; 95% CI [1.093, 2.018]; Multiracial: OR = 2.064; 95% CI [1.533, 2.778]) was found to be the most significant predictor of health service use. Conclusion Findings from this research shed light on the various factors that impact university students belonging to different ethnic groups, their health, and their access to healthcare that addresses their distinct health needs. Nurses can advocate for the development of health promotion and illness prevention strategies that target the needs of the diverse student population.

Monitoring inequalities in the National Chlamydia Screening Programme in England: added value of ACORN, a commercial geodemographic classification tool

Sexual Health ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Sheringham ◽  
Sarah Sowden ◽  
Mai Stafford ◽  
Ian Simms ◽  
Rosalind Raine
Keyword(s):  
Relative Risk ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Screening Programme ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Chlamydia Screening ◽  
Sexual Health Service ◽  
Screening Coverage

Background: Monitoring socioeconomic inequalities in sexual health service use is needed to ensure equitable service provision. There are limitations to current methods, particularly when applied to young people. The present study examined the validity and added value of combining ACORN, a commercial tool, with an established deprivation index to improve monitoring of inequalities in the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) in England. Methods: ACORN categories and the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 (IMD 2004) quintiles were linked to England population estimates and 145 975 records from the NCSP. Results: ACORN’s validity was demonstrated by moderate agreement between IMD 2004 and ACORN in segmenting the population and consistent gradients in the relative risk of chlamydia positivity between the most and least deprived areas assessed by IMD 2004 (relative risk (RR) 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.23, 1.40) and ACORN (RR 1.32; 95% CI 1.25, 1.40). ACORN’s fine level of geographic resolution demonstrated that the NCSP was reaching the most deprived neighbourhoods within larger areas classified overall as deprived by IMD 2004. Within the most deprived IMD 2004 quintile, areas classified as most deprived by ACORN had higher chlamydia screening coverage (3.15%; 95% CI 3.11, 3.19%) than the least deprived (1.81%; 95% CI 1.56, 2.08%). Furthermore, ACORN identified highest screening coverage (9.2%) in areas classified as ‘communal housing.’ Conclusions: These findings illustrate that a commercial geodemographic tool in combination with an established deprivation index may overcome limitations in monitoring inequalities in sexual health service use. ACORN had value as a supplementary deprivation marker for monitoring inequalities in chlamydia screening in England.

scholarly journals P158 Evaluation of sexual health service use at baseline (2014) in South East London

2016 ◽  
Vol 92 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A73.1-A73
Author(s):  
Katy Turner ◽  
Katharine Looker ◽  
Jonathan Syred ◽  
Sharmani Bernard ◽  
Paula Baraitser
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Sexual Health Service

scholarly journals Higher Rates of Untreated Distress in Older Versus Younger Adults With Indolent Lymphoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 466-466
Author(s):  
Kelly Trevino ◽  
Peter Martin ◽  
John Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Mental Health Service Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Indolent lymphomas are incurable but slow-growing cancers, resulting in a large number of older adults living with these diseases. Patients typically live with their illness for years with the knowledge that disease progression is likely. Yet, little is known about psychological distress in this population. This study examined rates of and the relationship between distress and mental health service use in older and younger adults with indolent lymphomas. Adult patients diagnosed with an indolent lymphoma (e.g., follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma) within the past six months completed self-report surveys of distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and mental health service use since the cancer diagnosis (yes/no). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to examine study questions. The sample (n=84) included 35 patients 65 years or older. Across the entire sample, 21.4% screened positive for distress on the HADS; 58.8% of these patients did not receive mental health services. Older adults reported lower distress levels than younger adults (17.1% v. 24.5%; p=.038). Among younger adults, 50% of distressed patients received mental health services; only 20% of distressed older adults received mental health services. Distress was associated with mental health service use in younger adults (p=.004) but not in older adults (p=.17). Older adults with indolent lymphomas have higher levels of untreated distress than younger adults. Research on the mechanisms underlying these age differences (e.g., stigma toward mental health services, ageism) would inform interventions to increase rates of mental health service use and reduce care disparities due to age.

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