Behavioural surveillance: the value of national coordination
- 1HIV/STI Division, Public Health Laboratory Service, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 61 Colindale Ave, London NW9 5EQ, UK
- 2Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Mortimer Market Centre, London WC1E 6AU, UK
- Ms Christine McGarrigle HIV/STI Division, Public Health Laboratory Service, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, 61 Colindale Ave, London NW9 5EQ, UK; cmcgarri{at}phls.org.uk
- Accepted 5 August 2002
Abstract
Behavioural surveillance programmes have enabled the description of population patterns of risk behaviours for STI and HIV transmission and aid in the understanding of how epidemics of STI are generated. They have been instrumental in helping to refine public health interventions and inform the targeting of sexual health promotion and disease control strategies. The formalisation and coordination of behavioural surveillance in England and Wales could optimise our ability to measure the impact of interventions and health promotion strategies on behaviour. This will be particularly useful for monitoring the progress towards specific disease control targets set in the Department of Health’s new Sexual Health and HIV Strategy.
