‘I didn’t want to visit a doctor unless it was extremely necessary’: perspectives on delaying access to sexual and reproductive health care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia from an online survey
Helen Bittleston
A C , Jane L. Goller A , Meredith Temple-Smith B , Jane S. Hocking A and Jacqueline Coombe A
A Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia.
B Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: helen.bittleston@unimelb.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 28(2) 131-136 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY21239
Submitted: 11 October 2021 Accepted: 16 December 2021 Published: 3 February 2022
Journal Compilation © La Trobe University 2022 Open Access CC BY
Abstract
Australians were subject to a series of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions throughout 2020. Although accessing medical care was allowable, concerns were raised that people were avoiding healthcare services. We explored young Australians’ reasons for delaying seeking sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care during the pandemic, using data from two cross-sectional surveys. The surveys included a question asking whether respondents had delayed accessing care during the pandemic. Free-text responses from young Australians (aged 18–29 years) were analysed using conventional content analysis. In all, 1058 under-30s completed a survey, with 262 (24.8%) reporting they had delayed seeking SRH care. Of these, 228 (87.0%) respondents provided a free-text comment. Participants who commented were predominantly female (86.4%) and had a median age of 23 years (interquartile range 20–26 years). Most commonly, respondents delayed testing for sexually transmissible infections, cervical cancer screening, and contraceptive care. Some delayed accessing care despite experiencing symptoms. Participants avoided seeking care due to concerns about contracting COVID-19, uncertainty about accessing care during restrictions and anxiety relating to accessing SRH care. Although some reported a reduced need for SRH care, others required but did not access care. Young people should be reassured that SRH issues are a valid reason to access services, especially when experiencing symptoms.
Keywords: COVID-19, health services: accessibility, primary health care, reproductive health services.
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