Pre-travel sexual health advice for international students: exploring awareness, access, barriers, and ways to improve access in Australia

BACKGROUND: Australia is a popular destination for international students. However, being away from their usual environment potentially increases their risk of sexually transmissible infections. We explored the awareness and barriers to accessing sexual health information and services before departure and within the first year of arrival among international students in Australia and identify ways of improving access to information and services. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews was conducted on international students enrolled at The University of Queensland in 2025, which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and imported into NVivo 14 for analysis. The interviews were synthesised thematically using an inductive approach. RESULTS: Fifteen students were interviewed. Most were unaware of pre-travel sexual health information and services. Barriers to accessing sexual health information and services were identified both before departure and post-arrival, and clustered into five themes. Pre-departure barriers included: (1) awareness and knowledge; (2) socio-cultural and religious; and (3) psychological barriers. Post-arrival barriers included: (1) challenges in navigating the Australian healthcare system; and (2) reshaping of pre-departure barriers in the post-arrival context. Despite the challenges, students recommended possible strategies to improve pre-departure sexual health access in their country of origin, including incorporating sexual education into the curriculum, pre-departure briefings, and providing sexual health services through ongoing systems. CONCLUSION: Most students were not aware of pre-travel sexual health services. Limited awareness, socio-cultural, and psychological barriers were identified as challenges to accessing pre-travel sexual health information and services. Providing culturally-sensitive services, delivering clear information about available services and how to access them, and strengthening supportive structures are crucial steps toward overcoming these barriers.