Where do young adults want opportunistic chlamydia screening services to be located?

Abstract

Background This study measured the acceptability of urine-based chlamydia screening to young adults, where young adults wanted opportunistic chlamydia screening services to be located, and by whom they wanted to be offered screening. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 5685 university students and 400 young adult healthcares setting attendees (age: 18-29 years). Results Ninety-six percent of males and 93% of females said that they would find it acceptable to be offered chlamydia screening. Seventy-six percent of males and 77% of females wanted to be offered screening by a doctor or nurse. Young women would prefer female staff. Most respondents preferred that screening be located in traditional healthcare settings such as General Practices, and offered by either doctors or nurses. More than 90% of respondents did not want screening services to be located in pharmacies and almost all rejected public non-health care screening settings. Conclusions Opportunistic chlamydia screening services should be located in traditional healthcare/medical settings, and screening should be offered by doctors and nurses. © The Author 2011, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved.