Let's talk (discreetly) about sex : the content generation and design of an online sexual and reproductive health information resource for young Vietnamese : a communications perspective

Vietnam is a populous nation experiencing rapid social and economic transition. These changes, in combination with the spread of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, are compromising the reproductive health of young Vietnamese.<br><br>Access to reliable reproductive health information is limited and social taboos prevent young people from talking openly about this topic. A huge number of young people living in Vietnam thus find themselves without access to relevant, accurate, non-threatening and unbiased information about sexuality and sexual health.<br><br>The research outlined in this thesis approaches the issue of sexual health information provision for young people living in Vietnam from a participatory action research foundation. A key focus is investigation of the ways in which young people living in Vietnam can be included in the development of online sexual health communication tools by, for and about young Vietnamese.<br><br>As part of this investigation, this thesis describes research conducted with young Vietnamese in Australia and Vietnam to identify and elucidate their reproductive health information needs, as situated within the contemporary Vietnamese socio-cultural context. The research was undertaken in order to determine how an online resource might meet these needs. This exploratory process involved the utilisation of a range of research methods to determine the website's optimal content, style, features and tone in relation to the Vietnamese context and requirements of its target users.<br><br>It is hoped that the record of discovery resulting from this research journey will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on online health communication and participatory approaches to the development of context-sensitive health and behaviour-change communication.<br>