G Hammond

What constitutes the best sex life for gay and bisexual men? Implications for HIV prevention

BackgroundWhile a large body of research has sought to understand HIV transmission risk behaviours among gay men, bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), less attention has been paid to the wider sexual health and well-being of this population. While some community-based organisations aim to support a more holistic sense of sexual well-being there is little evidence to draw on to inform their interventions. The current study sought to explore gay and bisexual men’s conceptions of what constitutes the ‘best sex’.MethodThe EMIS survey of 2010 recruited more than 180,000 respondents from 38 European countries to complete an online questionnaire about sexual health and behaviour. The 12,942 English language, UK-based responses to the open ended question, “What’s your idea of the best sex life?” were subjected to a detailed content analysis. A framework was devised to reflect and describe the key themes emerging from the data, which was then used to code all responses to one (or more) of these themes. Further statistical analysis sought to establish if and how responses differed according to key demographic variables.ResultsEight themes emerged that capture the diversity of gay and bisexual men’s sexual desires. Most common among responses was a desire for sex within committed relationships, followed by a desire for sex which is emotionally or psychologically connected. Men also expressed a desire for volume and variety in their sexual lives, and for sex that is free from physical, social or psychological harm. Comparative analysis identified that older men were less likely to idealise a relationship or emotional connection, but were more likely to specify the sexual acts or behaviours they wished to engage in.ConclusionsAttending to what men value or aspire to can help ensure interventions are engaging and meaningful to the target population. HIV prevention interventions need to attend to the broad range of sexual desires held by gay and bisexual men in delivery of holistic sexual health promotion that can help them to have the best sex with the least harm.

My Care, I Care: A study of what people with HIV value about NHS HIV services across London

Duration: January 2012 - March 2013 As part of a larger review of HIV services in London, the London Specialised Commissioning Group (SCG) commissioned Sigma Research to investigate the views of people with diagnosed HIV about the London NHS HIV services provided to them. The final report from the research, which included a large-scale self-completion survey and eight focus groups, is available to download here. It is also available in printed format, free to UK addresses here. Almost 1400 people with diagnosed HIV self-completion the survey which was available in HIV clinics and online from early February to the end of July 2012. The survey covered: demographics, current service use, motivations for service choice, aspirations for service development and broader social care needs. Sampling and recruitment were controlled in an attempt to ensure a sample broadly representative of the population of people using HIV clinical services in London and to ensure representation from all 28 London clinics. The survey was promoted online by HIV organisations and some HIV clinics. In addition paper copies of the survey were administered by dedicated fieldworkers in all the 28 specialist HIV out-patients clinics in Greater London. Eight focus groups with key groups of people with HIV were used to investigate in more detail motivations for service use, satisfaction with services and aspirations and suggestions for service development.

Bass Line 2008-09: assessing the sexual HIV prevention needs of African people in England

Duration: January 2007 - March 2010 The Bass Line national survey of African people in England has been commissioned twice by the African HIV Policy Network on behalf of NAHIP, the National African HIV Prevention programme. NAHIP is funded by the Department of Health. The aim of the survey is to develop an evidence base of the HIV prevention needs of African adults living in England to inform national interventions and aid regional and local HIV prevention planning. The content of the survey is developed in collaboration with NAHIP partners, within the framework of The Knowledge, The Will and The Power. Bass Line findings have been reported in a variety of news media, including Aidsmap, and have been presented at a range of conferences and meetings. Academic journal articles are currently being prepared. The 2008-09 survey was available in English and French in booklet form and on online in English. It was promoted by over 100 agencies providing services to African people in England and more than 2500 valid surveys were analysed. A seminar series on the main findings will be undertaken in late February 2010. Download the 2008-09 questionnaire in English or French (PDF format). Bass Line 2008-09 final report: The final report is available free in printed or PDF format. It includes descriptions of how the survey was undertaken, those who took part, and outlines findings pertaining to sexual and HIV testing behaviours and HIV prevention need within this population. Recommendations for action are summarised at the end of each chapter. Bass Line 2008-09 local area reports: Local area data reports are available free as PDFs. These summarise the key data for residents of each English Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and Primary Care Trusts within them. Bass Line 2008-09 distributor reports: Collaborating agencies recruiting 20 or more people received a data report summarising the key data for the people they recruited. The 2007 survey was available in English and French in booklet form and on the internet. It was promoted by more than 100 agencies providing services to African people in England including community websites and via links from news and entertainment websites. Ultimately, more than 4000 people took part.

Waltham Forest LGBT matters: the needs and experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans men and women in Waltham Forest

Duration: January 2009 - January 2010 Waltham Forest Council and its partners acknowledged a gap in evidence around local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) peoples experience and perceptions of community safety, community cohesion and access to Council services. In response the Council and its partners commissioned Sigma Research to undertake research to inform their annual strategic community safety assessment, their community cohesion planning and future approaches to customer access. Our study included a survey of 270 LGBT people who lived, worked, studied or socialised in Waltham Forest. The survey was live for four months from late February to late June 2009, online or via pen-and-paper. It was promoted via advertisements online and via email lists, via posters and promotional cards in local services and via snowballing. We also undertook six focus groups with LGBT residents of Waltham Forest and stakeholder interviews to help with interpretation of the findings.

Plus One: External Influences

Plus One: HIV sero-discordant relationships among black African people in England (NAHIP) Duration: September 2010 - November 2011 Plus One involved in-depth, face-to-face interviews with black African people living in England who were in relationships where one person had diagnosed HIV and the other did not (ie. HIV serodiscordant). Catherine Dodds, Peter , Annabel , Edith , John , Lawrence , Pamela , Kathie & Gary .

Plus One: HIV diagnosis and disclosure

Plus One: HIV sero-discordant relationships among black African people in England (NAHIP) Duration: September 2010 - November 2011 Plus One involved in-depth, face-to-face interviews with black African people living in England who were in relationships where one person had diagnosed HIV and the other did not (ie. HIV serodiscordant).

Plus One: Sex and risk

Plus One: HIV sero-discordant relationships among black African people in England (NAHIP) Duration: September 2010 - November 2011 Plus One involved in-depth, face-to-face interviews with black African people living in England who were in relationships where one person had diagnosed HIV and the other did not (ie. HIV serodiscordant).

Plus One: Executive Summary

Plus One: HIV sero-discordant relationships among black African people in England (NAHIP) Duration: September 2010 - November 2011 Plus One involved in-depth, face-to-face interviews with black African people living in England who were in relationships where one person had diagnosed HIV and the other did not (ie. HIV serodiscordant).

Plus One: Managing the relationship

Plus One: HIV sero-discordant relationships among black African people in England (NAHIP) Duration: September 2010 - November 2011 Plus One involved in-depth, face-to-face interviews with black African people living in England who were in relationships where one person had diagnosed HIV and the other did not (ie. HIV serodiscordant).

fasTest community HIV testing pilot (gsk funded): final evaluation report

Duration: September 2004 - September 2006 This evaluation concerned seven community rapid HIV testing pilot interventions separately funded by the Department of Health (four sites) and gsk (three sites) and delivered by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) with collaborators in local genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics. We use the fasTest brand name to refer to the intervention. This research was funded by Department of Health and Terrence Higgins Trust (on behalf of gsk sites). The intervention was exploratory and continued to develop throughout the pilot evaluation period. At the time of the evaluation THT described their aims in delivering this intervention as: • to reduce levels of undiagnosed HIV, • to provide greater access and choice for individuals, • to provide results at point of testing, • to establish a fast-tracking procedure into treatment & care for those testing positive. The fasTest service was also assumed to increase HIV testing capacity in localities where it was delivered. Our aims for the evaluation were to: • describe the entire population who tested at each site, including demographic profiles, sexual history and sexual health needs. • Identify how the population who tested at each site might vary from attendees of other clinical sexual health services. The key aim was to assess whether (and why) target groups were more likely to access services based in community settings compared to other settings. • Evaluate the acceptability of the interventions to gay men and African communities (from surveys and interviews). • Evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions in screening an at-risk population including their capacity to identify new cases of HIV. The evaluation was written-up in two seperate reports based on the funding of the pilots and their evaluation. The reports describe the data collected using three methods: monitoring of service provision and follow-up through standard HIV care services; our 4 page questionnaire completed by fasTest users; and follow-up telephone interviews with those tested positive. Both final reports include summary evaluation conclusions. Report one was called Evaluation of the Department of Health funded fasTest HIV testing in the community pilot. Report two was called Evaluation of the gsk funded fasTest HIV testing in the community pilot.