Log in
Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at highest risk of acquiring HIV in the UK and an estimated one-quarter of HIV-infected MSM have not been diagnosed. The Gay Men's Sexual Health (GMSH) Survey, conducted by University of Glasgow researchers, has provided robust evidence of sexual behaviours as well as prevention and testing activities of MSM in Scotland since 1996. These findings have shaped health policies in Scotland, the UK and Europe and have been used by health practitioners in the conduct of successful NHS sexual health campaigns in Scotland. The campaigns have been credited with increased testing rates and increased awareness of HIV risks demonstrating the effectiveness of direct promotion of sexual health awareness within the gay community.
Mowlabocus' research (2006-present) on gay men's social-media-use practices and new sexual-risk behaviours has led to new understandings of the role of media in health interventions. It has also led to changes in the health promotion and intervention practices of sexual health charities including the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), as well as in statutory services, including those offered within Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust, which covers an area with the highest UK percentage LGBT population and a very high incidence of HIV diagnosis and infection. These changes include, in the case of THT, the development and use of a new information website and intervention toolkit — designed to decrease the spread of HIV amongst those engaged in unsafe behaviours — which is being used in training for its staff across its 31 regional offices in the UK.
During the 1990s, LSHTM researchers documented a steep rise in HIV prevalence among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in eastern and southern Africa. Subsequent trials in Tanzania and Zimbabwe examined the effectiveness of interventions to reduce HIV incidence among this age group. The results, and subsequent reviews, have substantially influenced the HIV policies of international organisations such as UNICEF, UNESCO and WHO, and HIV programmes in individual African countries. In particular, findings on knowledge and attitude change through sexual health education have been widely implemented.
Research at Coventry University has produced innovative approaches to addressing sexual health and wellbeing issues, sexual health promotion and sex education. The research has resulted in:-
The work of White has led to a re-appraisal of men's risk of premature death, both in the UK and abroad. His analysis of morbidity and mortality data has helped stimulate a worldwide debate on the health of men and the risks they face with their health. In the UK, analysis of cancer data has led the leading cancer charities to have a rethink on men's risk of cancer. The EC State of Men's Health in Europe report has helped create a new insight into the equality needs of men and stimulated the production of similar reports globally.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) regularly report estimates for the prevalence of HIV and associated metrics for almost every country in the world. These statistics are essential for tracking the scale and the impact of HIV epidemic and are used routinely in the policy decisions and funding allocation decisions of national governments and international donors and therefore have a major impact on international public health. The methods underlying those estimates were originally developed, and continue to be refined and updated, by an international group of researchers at Imperial College London.
The Unit's research into HIV testing has led to impacts on health policy (WHO and NICE guidelines) and services relating to HIV testing amongst vulnerable populations across Europe, and particularly, Scotland. The policies related to the frequency of HIV testing, increases in sites available for testing, and the scope of interventions to promote testing. These policies have contributed to significant increases in HIV testing, and a reduction in undiagnosed HIV infection, HIV related ill-health and AIDS deaths. For people living with HIV, this has enabled improved quality of life, better health and contributions to society.
Research carried out by LSHTM into the effects of male circumcision on HIV prevention has led to important policy recommendations by WHO and UNAIDS, the joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS. The research showed a strongly reduced risk of HIV infection among circumcised men, and modelling studies estimated that male circumcision programmes in 13 priority countries in Africa could avert 4m HIV infections by 2025. Members of the research team serve on key international advisory groups, and these results have been widely used to underpin international policy guidelines.
This case study is based on two areas of research, both focused on young women's sexual health, conducted by Hoggart and Newton between 2009 and 2013. The first concerns abortion, and the second concerns long-acting reversible contraception (hereafter LARC). The research has had the following impacts: sexual health policy has been influenced; the delivery of sexual health service has changed; guidelines have been informed; practitioners have used the research findings; new clinical processes have been adopted; professional training has been influenced by the research; and industry has invested in research.
This impact case study is based on a body of research that has enhanced the assessment and treatment of female sexual offenders internationally. This clinical impact was underpinned by a series of unique qualitative and quantitative studies that led to the discovery of female sexual offenders' offence styles and cognitive characteristics. The work has resulted in the development of effective clinical practice training and guidelines. It has been used by professionals to enhance their assessment and treatment of female sexual offenders whose specific needs had not previously been identified.