Researchers conducted this research to assess young men and women’s willingness to be tested for Chlamydia trachomatis in three non-medical settings.
Men and women aged between 16 and 24 years were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire and provide a urine sample in non-medical settings: ‘education’, ‘health and fitness’ and ‘workplace’.
Eighty-four percent of age-eligible users approached in the settings agreed to complete a questionnaire (n = 363). Among the sexually active people (n = 346), the uptake of screening varied by location. Health and fitness settings and the perception of being at risk of having chlamydia were strong predictors of providing a urine sample. Adjusting for setting and age group, women were less likely than men to give a urine sample. All five positive cases were contacted with their health adviser results and invited to be treated at a local genitourinary medicine clinic.
The study concluded that men were more willing than women to be tested for C. trachomatis in these non-medical settings, but uptake varied by setting. Thus, increasing opportunities for the take-up of testing in particular non-medical settings might be a more practical approach to including young men who are not reached by clinic control efforts.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/35/1/21
