Justice-involved women’s preferences for an internet-based Sexual Health Empowerment curriculum

• Pages: 38-44
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-01-2019-0002
• Published date: 20 August 2019
• Date: 20 August 2019
• Author: Michelle L. Pickett,Joi Wickliffe,Amanda Emerson,Sharla Smith,Megha Ramaswamy
• Subject Matter: Health & social care

Justice-involved women’s preferences for

an internet-based Sexual Health

Empowerment curriculum

Michelle L. Pickett, Joi Wickliffe, Amanda Emerson, Sharla Smith and Megha Ramaswamy

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into justice-involved women’s preferences for an

internet-based Sexual Health Empowerment (SHE) curriculum.

Design/methodology/approach –The authors analyzed data from four focus groups conducted with

52 women in a minimum-security county jail in a Midwestern US city.

Findings –Women reported daily access to the internet while in the community and use of the internet for

searching about health concerns. Four themes emerged in the discussion about preferences for an internet-

based SHE curriculum, that it cover healthy sexual expression, how to access resources, video as an

educational modality and a non-judgmental approach.

Practical implications –Justice-involved women are potentially reachable through internet-based health

education. Their preferences for content and modality can be used to inform internet-based sexual health

programming designed specifically for this population. Using this modality could offer easily disseminated,

low-cost and consistent messaging about sexual health for a vulnerable group of women.

Originality/value –Though internet-based health education programming has been widely utilized in the

general population, less attention has been paid to if and how these programs could be utilized with a

vulnerable group of women who move between the justice system and communities. This exploratory study

begins to fill that gap.

Keywords Womens’health, Qualitative research, Health promotion, Public health, Post-release care,

Sexual health

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Internet-based education curricula have been shown to be not only cost-efficient but effective,

because they can provide information to large groups of people compared to in-person

educational programs (Noar et al., 2009; Rogerset al., 2017). Although previous researchstudies

have shown thatinternet-based sexual health education programs havebeen found to lower risky

sexual behaviors in a diverse population (Noar et al., 2009; Widman, Nesi, Kamke et al.,2018;

Widman, Golin and Kamke et al.,2018;Wernetteet al., 2018; Antonishak et al., 2015), an

internet-based sexual health program focusing on women who are transitioning from jail into the

communityhas yet to be developed. An opportunityexists to develop an internet-basedcurriculum

that can reach these women.

Women with criminal justice histories have increased risk for many sexual health-related

problems such as increased prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), high rates of

unintended pregnancy, cervical cancer, and low rates of up-to-date cervical and breast cancer

screening ( Javanbakht et al., 2014; Wiehe et al., 2015; Ramaswamy et al., 2017; Pickett et al.,

2018; Binswanger et al., 2009; Clarke et al., 2006). As women transition back into the

community, they are confronted with a host of competing priorities like seeking stable housing,

reconnecting with children, reinstating state assistance, finding employment and meeting other

Received 11 January 2019

Revised 11 June 2019

Accepted 4 July 2019

This study was supported by the

National Cancer Institute, National

Institutes of Health, through Grant

No. R01 CA181047

(PI Ramaswamy), National Cancer

Institute, National Institutes of

Health, through Grant No. R01

CA181047-S1 Diversity

Supplement (Trainee Smith) and

National Cancer Institute, National

Institutes of Health, through Grant

No. R01 CA181047-S2 Diversity

Supplement (Trainee Pickett).

Michelle L. Pickett is based at

the Department of Pediatrics,

Medical College of Wisconsin,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

Joi Wickliffe is based at the

Preventive Medicine and Public

Health, University of Kansas

School of Medicine, Kansas

City, Kansas, USA.

Amanda Emerson is based at

School of Nursing and Health

Studies, University of Missouri-

Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Sharla Smith is based at the

Preventive Medicine and Public

Health, University of Kansas

School of Medicine Wichita,

Wichita, Kansas, USA.

Megha Ramaswamy is based

at the Preventive Medicine and

Public Health, University of

Kansas School of Medicine,

Kansas City, Kansas, USA.

PAG E 38

j

INTERNATIONALJOURNAL OF PRISONER HEALTH

j

VOL. 16 NO. 1 2020, pp. 38-44, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200 DOI 10.1108/IJPH-01-2019-0002