Co-design of Sexual Violence Support Advertisements
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Co-design of Inclusive Advertising to Promote Sexual Violence Support within Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: A Participatory, Theory-Informed Development and Evaluation Study
IRAS ID
367999
Contact name
Rachel Caswell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) are settings that provide safe and supportive care following sexual violence (SV), including emergency contraception, hepatitis B prophylaxis, testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and signposting to other services. Sexual violence affects many people, however some are not aware of the available support. Even when survivors have heard about available support they may not recognise themselves as candidates for care and may fear judgement or not being believed. Advertising intends to raise awareness of the available support, but existing promotional materials can be unclear, do not reflect diverse survivor experiences and are not designed by potential service uses and those with lived experience.
This research aims to co-design and evaluate inclusive advertising materials that promote SRHS support after SV. Co-design workshops will bring together SRHS users, including people with lived experience of sexual violence, LGBTQi members, and advocates, working alongside a graphic designer in 3–4 co-production workshops to explore participants’ views, to collaboratively design poster content and imagery. The promotional materials will be evaluated for clarity, emotional safety, inclusiveness, stigma reduction, and low-literacy accessibility embedded within the co-design workshop.
Stakeholders such as healthcare professionals with expertise in SV support and related policy (including members of the BASHH SV Special Interest Group), sexual health advisers, and staff from partner organisations supporting survivors (e.g., Rape and Sexual Violence Project) and policymakers will contribute through an expert advisory group input approach to sense-check feasibility, acceptability, and real-world implementation. Key implementation recommendations will be fed back to participants in the final workshop to support refinement of the co-designed materials and inform a guidance report. The primary output will be up to 2 co-designed posters or related promotional materials suitable for display in SRHS settings (e.g. waiting room walls) and/or online.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/WM/0089
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jul 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion