Exploring young people’s preferences for STI screening
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Screening and Testing Preferences in Sexual Health – Understanding Young People’s Preferences in the UK
IRAS ID
192352
Contact name
Louise Jackson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingam
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Why do we need to do this research?
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are a major public health concern both in the UK and globally. Young people particularly bear the burden of the ill-health caused by STIs. Testing young people for STIs, even if they don't have any symptoms, can be effective in preventing the spread of disease. There are many ways in which people can access STI screening to help them maintain good sexual health – e.g. at a pharmacy, clinic or by ordering a kit online. We need to know what STI screening services young people would like to see in these different settings so that we can make the best use of NHS resources.What will we do?
We will carry out group or one-to-one discussions with young people to find out what is important to them if they are using STI screening services in different settings. We will ask a range of young people to take part, to make sure that we speak to young people from different social and cultural backgrounds. We will speak to young people who have accessed sexual health services before and those who have never done so. We plan to speak to around 40 young people from different parts of Birmingham. We will invite people to take part through GP surgeries, pharmacies, sexual health clinics and community centres. We will record the discussions and then analyse them to examine the similarities and differences in what young people have said.How will the findings be used?
We will share the findings of the research with those who plan and provide sexual health services for young people. This will help to make sure that the right kinds of services are provided in the right kinds of places.REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NE/0211
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion