Monitoring the promotion of sexual health: developing sexual health indicators
Background
In 2007 the Reproductive Health and Research Department, WHO, in collaboration with partners, developed an initial set of sexual health indicators as part of a comprehensive indicator framework to monitor progress in universal access to reproductive health to be tested and validated.
The proposed indicators cover the following areas of sexual health: healthy sexuality, sexual dysfunction and sexual vulnerability, adolescent sexual health and sexual violence. The indicators range from process/activity (e.g. policy and services related) through outcome (e.g. behavior change) to impact indicators (e.g. prevalence of certain sexual health conditions in different populations).
Given the differences in the proposed indicators with regard to clarity of definition, tested feasibility and comprehensiveness, further work has to be done.
Objective
To strengthen monitoring and evaluation tools and indicators on Sexual Health.
Methods
This is a two years, involving:
- normative work: to provide standard definitions, measurement and reporting tools;
- testing and validation: to pilot and validate indicators in the field, measurement and reporting tools;
- advocacy and communication: to promote the use of some indicators within existing measurement and reporting tools.
Expected results
A core set of 5-10 sexual health indicators to recommend to countries that can be easily integrated into existing national and sub-national M&E mechanisms for routine monitoring and reporting.