LEBANON, N.H., Jan. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report reveals, for the first time, a full picture of sexual health in the United States. Sexual Health Rankings™ is the most comprehensive measure of Americans' sexual health ever developed, and the first state-by-state comparison of overall sexual health.
Sexual Health Rankings™ folds 26 different measures of sexual health into a single index, and rates the 50 states and District of Columbia according to their index scores.
The report finds that sexual health varies widely across state populations. Vermont ranks highest (#1) in sexual health. Mississippi ranks as the least sexually healthy state (#51).
The main platform for Sexual Health Rankings™ is the Web site, www.sexualhealthrankings.com.
Sexual Health Rankings™ is based on the World Health Organization definition of sexual health, which emphasizes wellness, and encompasses human rights, sexual expression and identity, and sexual pleasure.
"Sexual health is an essential part of health—each individual person's health, and the health of society as a whole," says Sexual Health Rankings™ Director Martin Downs, MPH. "Sexual health relates to many different parts of the body, aspects of life, and areas of society, in ways that aren't always obvious."
Until recently, medical and public health experts thought of sexual health mainly in terms of disease and reproduction. Leading health authorities in the United States now accept a broad, positively focused view of sexual health, which is informing changes in national health policy, medical education, and even the marketing of consumer products.
The Sexual Health Rankings™ index includes traditional sexual health indicators, such as rates of sexually transmitted infections and teen births. It also includes indicators related to sexual satisfaction, and social factors that influence sexual health. Laws and policies, culture, economic conditions, education, and health care systems also affect every person's sexual health in some way.
Sexual Health Rankings™ is not only a research project, but also a tool that people can use to identify needs and take positive action to improve sexual health across the United States.
Sexual Health Rankings™ is produced by Variance, LLC, in partnership with the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health (CSPH), a nonprofit organization based in Pawtucket, R.I. Sexual Health Rankings™ is an independent initiative of Variance, LLC and the CSPH, and has no other sources of funding or support.
SOURCE Variance, LLC
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