Exploring and improving sexual health literacy: Insights from sexual health experts

Sexual health is integral to physical and mental wellbeing. Yet, sexual health literacy (SHL) is understudied and there is a dearth of reliable and valid SHL measures. To address this gap in the literature, we used Robinson's Sexual Health Model to guide this qualitative study of sexual health experts' perspectives of SHL as part of a larger project to inform SHL scale development. Participants were eight cisgender women professionals with sexual health expertise. Participants completed an hour-long semi-structured virtual interview, which was transcribed and then analyzed using thematic analysis. Results provide insight into perceived gaps in, facilitators and barriers to promoting, and considerations for assessing SHL. Findings offer insight into sexual health promotion among diverse populations and will be used to guide development of a SHL scale.