Sexual Health
Sexual health is more than the absence of disease and dysfunction. It is a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality. The goal of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Program at the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute is to increase knowledge and awareness of sexual and reproductive health information for health and allied healthcare professionals, educators, people of reproductive age, and caregivers. The Prevention Institute’s primary concern is that babies are born as healthy as possible and are able to maintain that good health throughout their childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Indicators of Sexual Health
Common indicators used to assess the sexual health of Canadians include:
- age at first intercourse
- sexual activity participation rates
- number of sexual partners
- condom use
- rates of sexually transmitted infections and adolescent pregnancy
- sexual violence (although not regularly included as an indicator of sexual health, it is important to consider as it can have significant consequences for sexual health)