Call for Papers
- People on the move: Sexual health and international population mobility
- Sexual health among older adults: A multi-disciplinary collection
Population mobility is a significant driver of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and bloodborne viruses (BBVs). As many countries move towards the virtual elimination of HIV transmission, addressing the scope and complexity of population mobility as it relates to sexual health remains a shared ongoing challenge. Mobile populations, including migrants from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, refugees, international students and expatriates, and long-term or frequent travellers, are influenced by a range of factors before during and after migration including access to social support, eligibility for healthcare, stigma and discrimination, employment, transnational health practices and legal protections. Such factors influence knowledge, norms and sexual practices and subsequent access to testing, treatment, and care.
The sexual health needs of mobile populations require tailored considerations of the broader social, cultural and structural factors that influence health. This Collection aims to bring together theoretical and empirical contributions on international population mobility and sexual health, specifically relating to STI and BBV transmission. Mobile populations broadly remain under-represented in our response to managing sexually transmissible infections and bloodborne viruses, with factors such as language barriers and mistrust often framing populations as ‘hard to reach’ rather than underserved. As such, little research has identified ‘what works’ or tested or scaled up interventions or solutions to address sexual health inequities.
In this Collection, we are particularly interested in strengths-based or solution-focused articles and those that have evaluated programs and services. We strongly encourage contributions from people with lived experience and submissions that highlight the voices of those who are affected by migration and population mobility, particularly studies with a focus on co-design and emancipatory approaches.
For Collection queries, please contact Corie Gray (corie.gray@curtin.edu.au)
Submissions opening: March 2025
Submissions closing: September 2025
Publication anticipated from: March 2026
Older adults (people 60 years and older) are often neglected in sexual health research, programs, and services. Healthcare professionals do not frequently talk about sex with their older patients and many sexual health research studies exclude older participants. This suggests the need for more sexual health research among older adults. This special collection addresses this gap in the literature, drawing on a wide range of multi-disciplinary perspectives. For more information on this call for papers, see Sexual health in an aging world: a global call to action for more resilient services for older and disabled adults.
This special collection includes editorials, original research articles, reviews, and other evidence focused on sexual health among older adults. The special collection is led by Dr. Lianne Gonsalves and Dr. Joseph Tucker.
Lianne Gonsalves – World Health Organisation
Joseph Tucker – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Submissions opening: 5 November, 2024
Submissions closing: 1 April, 2025
Publication anticipated from: 1 January, 2026
