Epidemiology: Largest national survey offers insight into sexual health in Britain

摘要

The third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3)-one of the largest ever studies of sexual health and behaviour in a single country-has been reported in The Lancet. This large stratified probability sample survey (of data collected from 15,162 adults aged 16-74 years living in Britain between September 2010 and August 2012) provides information that could be used to improve sexual health in the future. Natsal-3 follows on from Natsal-1 (1990-1991) and Natsal-2 (1999-2001), offering unique insight into the changes in sexual health that have occurred in Britain over the past 25 years.Since Natsal-2 was performed, a number of strategies have been implemented across Britain to improve sexual health in relation to infection, including the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV in England (2001) and the English National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP; 2004), with corresponding initiatives in Scotland and Wales.