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Sex, poverty, and public health: Connections between sexual wellbeing and economic resources among US reproductive health clients
Author(s) -
Higgins Jenny A.,
Kramer Renee,
Senderowicz Leigh,
Everett Bethany,
Turok David K.,
Sanders Jessica N.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
perspectives on sexual and reproductive health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.818
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1931-2393
pISSN - 1538-6341
DOI - 10.1363/psrh.12189
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , poverty , reproductive health , public health , psychology , gerontology , environmental health , demography , economic growth , medicine , population , sociology , economics , nursing
Objective To document associations between socioeconomics and indicators of sexual wellbeing. Methods We obtained our data from the HER Salt Lake Initiative, a large, longitudinal cohort study of family planning clients in the United States who accessed free contraceptive services between March 2016 and March 2017. Baseline socioeconomic measures included Federal Poverty Level, receipt of public assistance, and difficulty paying for housing, food, and other necessities. Sexual wellbeing measures assessed sexual functioning and satisfaction, frequency of orgasm, and current sex‐life rating. Among participants who had been sexually active in the last month ( N = 2581), we used chi‐square tests to examine bivariate associations between sexual and socioeconomic measures. Results We found strong and consistent relationships between sexual wellbeing and economic resources: those reporting more socioeconomic constraints also reported fewer signs of sexual flourishing. Conclusions Financial scarcity appears to constrain sexual wellbeing. To support positive sexual health, the public health field must continue to focus on economic reform, poverty reduction, and dismantling of structural classism as critical aspects of helping people achieve their full health and wellbeing potential. ClinialTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02734199.