Sexual and HIV risk behaviour in Central & Eastern European migrants in London

Fiona M Burns (1) , Alison R Evans (1) , Catherine H Mercer (1) , Violetta Parutis (1) , Christopher J Gerry (1) , Richard Mole (1) , Rebecca S French (2) , John Imrie (3) , Graham J Hart (1)

1 UCL - University College of London [London]
2 Department of Social and Environmental Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical medicine
3 The Africa Centre for Health & Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Background: The accession of ten Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to the EU resulted in the largest migratory influx in peacetime British history. No information exists on the sexual behaviour of CEE migrants within the UK. Our aim was to assess the sexual lifestyles, and health service needs of these communities. Methods: We conducted a survey, delivered electronically and available in 12 languages, of migrants from the ten CEE accession states recruited from community venues in London following extensive social mapping, and via the Internet. Reported behaviours were compared with those from national probability survey data. Results: 2648 CEE migrants completed the survey. Male CEE migrants reported higher rates of partner acquisition (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.1, 95%CI: 1.3-2.1), and paying for sex (aOR 3.2, 95%CI: 2.5-4.0), and both male and female CEE migrants reported more injecting drug use (men: aOR 2.2, 95%CI: 1.3-3.9; women: aOR 3.0, 95%CI 1.1-8.1), than in the general population; however CEE migrants were more likely to report more consistent condom use and lower reported diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STI). Just over 1% of respondents reported being HIV positive. The majority of men and a third of women were not registered for primary care in the UK. Discussion: CEE migrants to London report high rates of behaviours associated with increased risk of HIV/STI acquisition and transmission. These results should inform service planning, identify where STI and HIV interventions should be targeted, and provide baseline data to help evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions.

Mots clés: EPIDEMIOLOGY; HEALTH SERV RESEARCH; HIV; IMMIGRANTS; SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR

Fiona M Burns, Alison R Evans, Catherine H Mercer, Violetta Parutis, Christopher J Gerry, et al.. Sexual and HIV risk behaviour in Central & Eastern European migrants in London. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2011, 87 (4), pp.318. ⟨10.1136/sti.2010.047209⟩. ⟨hal-00633210⟩