Baby boomer women, Type 2 diabetes and sexual health discussions in primary care: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

The current cohort of older adults with the UK is primarily comprised of the baby boomers, people born between the mid-1940s and the mid-1960s. This cohort came of age at a time when attitudes towards sexuality were changing. Type 2 diabetes (T2D), one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in older adults, is known to impact on sexual health and well-being (SHW). Research shows that SHW is important throughout the lifespan but that it is an area often omitted in consultations between older adults and primary care healthcare professionals (HCP). A lack of discussions in primary care may lead to poor quality of life and health outcomes. A scoping review of the literature revealed a paucity of research exploring the SHW communication of baby boomer women living with T2D. Therefore, the thesis aim was to undertake an in-depth exploration of baby boomer women’s (living with T2D) experiences of SHW discussions in primary care. Ten in-depth qualitative interviews with women aged between 50 and 83 years living with T2D were undertaken. Interviews were conducted between August 2016 and March 2017. Data were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach. Three superordinate themes were developed: patient-HCP relationship, sense of control over SHW and healthcare, and situating SHW within women’s lives. Several barriers and facilitators to SHW discussions in primary care were identified. The gender and profession (GP or practice nurse) of the HCP were important to women, as was having HCPs that listened. Within consultations, the women’s sense of control influenced their approach to discussing SHW. Upbringing and social norms also influenced the SHW issues that women addressed within consultations. Through detailed exploration of the thesis findings and knowledge exchange activities, contributions to knowledge and implications for the primary health care of baby boomer women living with T2D were identified.