Online testing kits for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) could almost double the number of people being tested compared with inviting them to a clinic, a UK study suggests.
STIs are a health concern, with more than 434,456 new diagnoses in England in 2015, and 5,684 new cases of HIV.
Health Problems
Left undiagnosed and untreated, STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea can increase the risk of HIV transmission. They can also cause a range of health problems, including infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
Young people are more likely to be diagnosed with an STI than older age groups. In 2015, among heterosexuals diagnosed, 15 to 24-year-olds accounted for 62% of those with chlamydia, 52% with gonorrhoea, 51% with genital warts, and 41% with genital herpes.
Older people are also at risk because they are less likely to practise safer sex.
Low rates of HIV testing can lead to late diagnosis and an increased chance of ill health later in life.
London Study
In 2016, there were more than 100,000 new STIs diagnosed in London, which accounted for almost half of all new HIV diagnoses in the UK.
The latest study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, involved 2,072 people aged 16 to 30 in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark.
All the participants had at least 1 sexual partner in the last 12 months, were willing to take an STI test, and had access to the internet.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and King’s College London randomly allocated the participants to receive one of two different text messages. Half the group were sent details and websites of 7 local sexual health clinics – the other half were sent a message linking them to an internet-accessed sexually transmitted infection (e-STI) testing and results service, called SH:24.
Those in the second group were offered postal self-sampling test kits for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis. After these were returned, results were delivered via a text message or by telephone. They were also sent information online about safe sex and sexual health.
Increased Uptake in Testing
After 6 weeks, uptake of STI testing was 50% in those offered online testing kits compared with just 26.6% of those who had been sent details of local clinics.
The proportion of participants diagnosed was 2.8% in the intervention group versus 1.4% in the control group.
The authors acknowledge some limitations to their study, including the likelihood that those who participated may have already had a greater interest in being tested.
SOURCES:
Internet-accessed sexually transmitted infection (e-STI) testing and results service: A randomised, single-blind, controlled trial, Wilson E et al, PLOS Medicine
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
FPA
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