Reproductive and Sexual Health Needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities in Western Sydney: Pilot Project Report

The World Health Organisation considers reproductive and sexual health to be an important part of “complete physical, mental and social well-being” (World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2010). In Australia, primary care around reproductive and sexual health is through General Practitioners (GPs) and specialised services such as family planning clinics, sexual health centres and women’s health centres. However, these services are underutilised by culturally and linguistically diverse communities (Georgiadis, 2008; Manderson & Allotey, 2003b), leading to concerns about lack of appropriate information for informed decision-making and low use of preventative measures associated with reproductive and sexual health (Gifford, Bakopanos, Dawson, & Yesilyurt, 1998; McMullin, De Alba, Chávez, & Hubbell, 2005)