Editorial

Welcome to this edition of Sexual Health Matters. I hope that your memories of Christmas and New Year celebrations are good ones. It is a new year but some of the old problems persist. This may be an indication for re-organisation or re-planning some of the services in matters of sexual health. Although prostitution is an old profession, there are social, legal, medical and financial issues among others for consideration. These issues cannot be swept under the carpet. On the provision of care and services to meet the needs of commercial sex workers in Middlesbrough, Opaneye et al. argue that the council should play a major role. Some authorities believe that one of the means of combating the rising trends of sexually transmitted infections among young people is to provide several satellite clinics. The report on such a clinic in Dundee as reported by Ghally et al. casts doubt on such an exercise. Health seeking behaviour is the key. From their research based on questionnaire in Nigeria, Fadiora et al. reiterate that there is still a gap between knowledge and behaviour. Even in some cases the knowledge is small. Health seeking behaviour is learnt and needs constant re-enforcement through health education in all age groups. The National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV has identified that there is need for further research into health seeking behaviour. Deborah Beere in her article elaborated on the provision of HIV services as suggested by the strategy. As usual, the Searchlight in this edition exposes the intricacies of the actions of oestrogen and progesterone hormones.

This is wishing you a happy and blessed new year 2003.

Abayomi Opaneye
Editor in Chief

©2002 Sexual Health Matters. Published Quarterly by Express Print Works, Middlesbrough, UK
ISSN 1469-7556
http://www.sexualhealthmatters.com