‘Somebody that looks like me’ matters: a qualitative study of black women’s preferences for receiving sexual health services in the USA

Abstract

Research dedicated to understanding the sexual experiences of Black women has historically been framed around adverse outcomes. There are limited data that can be used to understand the lived experiences of Black women related to sexual health care. Twenty-five Black women aged 18- 35 from across nine US states were interviewed to gain insight into their experiences and preferences for receiving sexual health services. Three themes were developed from their accounts: individual and structural barriers affect access to and perceived quality of care; service provider race and gender impact sexual health care experiences; and personalised care improves engagement. Findings suggest the need for culturally informed training for sexual health practitioners working with Black women.

KEYWORDS:

• Black women
• sexual and reproductive health
• sex and relationship education
• healthcare-seeking

Acknowledgements

We thank Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bartelt for training in the use of Dedoose software; and Byllye Avery, Tanya Bass and Lexx Brown-James for expert review of the data collection interview guide. We thank study participants for providing insightful information that will impact the field.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Centre for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA.