Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Increased attendances of people of eastern European origin at sexual health services in London
  1. F M Burns1,
  2. C H Mercer1,
  3. A R Evans1,
  4. C J Gerry2,
  5. R Mole2,
  6. G J Hart1
  1. 1
    Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Research, Research Department of Infection and Population Health, University College London, London, UK
  2. 2
    UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, London, UK
  1. Dr F Burns, UCL Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Research, Mortimer Market Centre, Off Capper Street, London WC1E 6JB, UK; fburns{at}gum.ucl.ac.uk

Abstract

Objective: To describe the service use of migrants from eight central and eastern European (CEE) countries at two central London genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics before and after accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

Methods: KC60 data collected between 1 June 2001 and 30 April 2007. Data refer to new attendances and exclude those attending for follow-up appointments.

Results: 102 604 people attended the clinics at least once over the study period. Between May 2006 and 30 April 2007 individuals born in the eight CEE countries accounted for 7.9% of attendances among women and 2.5% of attendances made by men; the proportion increasing significantly over the 6-year study period (p<0.001). Syphilis was more likely in CEE men (age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.98, 95% CI 1.07 to 8.29) and family planning services were more likely to be required for CEE women (23.9% vs 12.4%, age-adjusted OR 2.33, 95% CI 2.02 to 2.68, p<0.001), than for those born elsewhere. A larger proportion of men from CEE countries were recorded as homosexual or bisexual than men from other countries (38.3% vs 31.9%, p = 0.003).

Conclusions: CEE migrants already have a substantial impact on GUM services in London. If attendance rates continue at the current level CEE women will soon account for over 10% of new attendances. Although the majority of CEE migrants are men, proportionately fewer CEE men accessed GUM services than women. Sexual and reproductive health services need to adapt quickly to meet the needs of this growing population.

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

Footnotes

  • Funding: FMB was supported by a Wellcome training fellowship (grant 066866/Z/02). CHM is funded by a Department of Health/NCCRCD postdoctoral fellowship. ARE is funded by an MRC grant (G0601703).

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Contributors: FMB led the writing of the paper, with contributions from all authors. CHM prepared the data for analyses and led the statistical analyses with support from ARE.

Linked Articles

  • Brief encounters
    Helen Ward Rob Miller