A designathon to co-create strategies to increase uptake of sexual health services among older adults, including those with disabilities: findings from a UK-based participatory event

Background Sexual health services and research often neglect middle-aged and older adults, including those with disabilities. The Sexual Health in Older Adults Research (SHOAR) study addresses this gap through a designathon, engaging adults aged 45+ years to co-create inclusive, user-centred sexual health interventions in the UK. Methods We used a participatory action research approach to co-develop sexual health interventions for middle-aged and older adults, including people with disabilities and sexual minorities. The 2.5-day event, supported by diverse stakeholders, produced five prototype interventions, with one selected to present at a national sexual health conference. Results A total of 34 participants (41.2% males and 58.8% females) aged from under 25 years to 62 years participated in the designathon in London. Five teams developed proposed interventions that addressed assigned themes: (1) community theatre, knit and natter (knitting and social group), scripted peer-support stories, and street festivals with signposting; (2) use of self-care (e.g. barbers, hair salon) to promote discussion of sexual health; (3) inclusion of sexual health-related questions in routine National Health Service health checks performed by general practitioners; (4) information and advertisement campaign for older and women with disabilities with catchy slogans and buttons/stickers; and (5) peer champions providing training on inclusive services, peer-support in clinics in community settings. Conclusions We describe the process and outcomes of a sexual health-related designathon with middle-aged and older adults. The use of participatory activities to engage this population proved to be a valuable source of insights for improving sexual health research, practice, and policy. Further research is needed to evaluate their effectiveness and implementability.