Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Corresponding Author: Ana Correia de Barros ana. Sexual health is an important component of quality of life in older adults. However, older adults often face barriers to attaining a fulfilling sexual life because of issues such as stigma, lack of information, or difficult access to adequate support. We aimed to evaluate the user experience of a self-guided, smartphone-delivered program to promote sexual health among older adults.
The mobile app was made available to community-dwelling older adults in the Netherlands, who freely used the app for 8 weeks. User experience and its respective components were assessed using self-developed questionnaires, the System Usability Scale, and semistructured interviews.
Quantitative and qualitative data were descriptively and thematically analyzed, respectively. In total, 15 participants mean age To increase user experience, participants offered suggestions to improve content and interaction, including access to specialized sexual health services. The sexual health promotion program delivered through a smartphone in a self-guided mode was usable. Keywords: internet interventions, mobile health, mHealth, older adults, sexual health, smartphone, user experience, pilot study, mobile phone.
Sexual health is a component of general health [ 1 ] and quality of life in older age [ 2 ]. However, older age is also associated with barriers to a fulfilling sexual life [ 3 - 5 ]. Many older adults are sexually active [ 6 ] but are at a higher risk than the general population to present sexual difficulties and dysfunctions. Older women often report decreased libido or lack of vaginal lubrication, whereas erection issues, reduced sexual desire, or being unable to reach orgasm are difficulties regularly reported by men [ 7 ].
In health care services, sexual difficulties are often untreated [ 8 ] and aggravated by poor communication related to lack of appropriate and case-specific information, lack of training among clinicians, or negative social beliefs and societal stigma, which makes it difficult for both patients and clinicians to bring about the topic [ 9 ].
