Sexual health literacy and education programs for culturally and linguistically diverse young people living in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom: a scoping review of content evaluations

Sexual health literacy and education programs for culturally and linguistically diverse young people living in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom: a scoping review of content evaluations

Young people from key priority communities, represent an important focus for enhancing sexual and reproductive health (SRH). There is an abundance of literature indicating that sexual health programs designed to improve sexual health literacy (SHL) for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are often developed using established health behaviour models and community involvement models. However, little evidence exists on the processes or standards used to evaluate program effectiveness or update content to remain relevant and appealing. This scoping review of academic literature, and government and not-for-profit organizations reports in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom (countries with similar healthcare systems, immigration patterns and socioeconomic status), was conducted to determine if and how program content was reviewed and evaluated for currency and effectiveness. No academic or grey literature reports were identified that described the assessment of SHL program content or resources targeting young people from CALD backgrounds. Organizations and authors were contacted for further details of program content assessment with little success. This suggests a gap in the literature and lack of program evaluation or processes for updating of program content. This review highlights recommendations regarding advancing future research and enhancing program content evaluation.