Sexual
Health: an Australian perspective
For much of
the last century, sexual health was construed as freedom from sexual disease.
Sexual health is now seen as multi-dimensional, the product of complex
interplay between biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors.
In this book, academics, researchers, and practitioners from a range of disciplines provide a comprehensive, stimulating, and authoritative perspective on sexual health.
The book
opens with a snapshot of the sexual health of Australia today, and chapters
on the history of sexual health in Australia, how the sexual health of
a population is measured, and the findings of the first large-scale Australian
study of sexual behaviour. The biological, psychological, and socio-cultural
foundations for sexual health are described, with two key life transitions
– adolescence and old age – used to illustrate how these factors
impact on sexual wellbeing. Threats to sexual health - sexually transmissible
infections and sexual dysfunctions - are outlined. Sexual health inequalities
are examined, with chapters on Indigenous Australians, sex workers, prisoners,
homeless young people, and people who live with illness or disability.
Sexual health promotion is then the theme, with chapters on sex education,
the medical consultation, health services, government policy, and the
role of law and regulation. The book concludes with strategies for future
action.
For tertiary-level
students of nursing, medicine, public health, and health promotion, this
book will prove an ideal textbook. For practitioners working in sexual
health, community workers, counsellors and policy-makers, it will be an
invaluable first reference.
Bibliographic
details:
Published, September, 2005. 240 x 170mm. 368 pages.
Includes bibliography and index.
Paperback. ISBN: 0-9752374-1-1. $A65.00 rrp.