Rates of several common sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis— have increased among Military Service Members and civilians in recent years, and many Military Service Members or their partners get pregnant even when they’re not planning on it. Sexual behaviors that put people at risk for STIs and unplanned pregnancies include having multiple sex partners or not using condoms.
TRICARE gives Military Service Members and their dependents access to the military health system. At your local military treatment facility, you’ll probably find things like brochures about sexual and reproductive health and free condoms. You also should have access to a medical provider who can talk to you about things like preventing STIs and family planning. Most Military Service Members also have access to support for career planning, managing your finances—either from specific individuals, your commanders and peers, or written and online resources—and family and relationship counseling: All are super important when it comes to your sexual and reproductive health.
It’s great that there’s so much information out there, but trying to find the right information and make sense of it all can be time-consuming and exhausting. You might ask:
- How do I talk to my doctor about these personal topics? Does TRICARE cover this?
- Is this website I found accurate and up-to-date? Does it apply to me?
- Do I feel comfortable grabbing a few condoms from the bowl at the health clinic?
- Where do I find the number for my local career counselor? Can I talk to them about family planning?
Past research shows that when there are intensive efforts to get people thinking about their sexual and reproductive health, they can change their behavior. They might be more likely to use condoms to reduce the chance of getting an STI or having an unplanned pregnancy as well. This is great news, but it can be hard for researchers and medical providers to know exactly which information is the most useful, and how to best present that information in a way that’s relevant and helpful for people with different backgrounds, values, and goals. In other words, we need to figure out a way to streamline people’s access to health information and study whether they’re putting the information into action to protect themselves and others.
A team of scientists from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, and U.S. military treatment facilities are developing a smartphone app that will focus on three main parts of promoting healthy and positive sexual and reproductive health behaviors:
- Information. This part refers to the resources and knowledge you need to understand sexual and reproductive health.
- Motivation. This is about the reason(s) why people choose to make healthy decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
- Behavioral skills. This refers to your ability to make healthy decisions like talking to your doctor about family planning or using a condom with a new sexual partner.
Our team spoke with Military Service Members in all branches, medical providers in the military healthcare system, military commanders, and DoD policy makers to understand what’s already out there and what’s still needed. Our mobile app is currently under development, and we’ll use rigorous research methods to find out which parts have the biggest impact on people’s attitudes toward sex and their sexual behaviors. We’re hoping that our smartphone app can connect Military Service Members to available resources and help them figure out how to use them. In the meanwhile, there are some things you can do.
- THINK about your sexual and reproductive health.
- TALK with your doctor or find some trustworthy resources.
- CONSIDER why safe sex is important.
- ACT on the information to keep you and your partner healthy.
