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

Abstract

Background Accession of 10 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. The aim of this study was to assess the sexual lifestyles and health service needs of these communities. Methods A survey, delivered electronically and available in 12 languages, of migrants from the 10 CEE accession countries 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 OR (aOR) 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3 to 2.1) and paying for sex (aOR 3.2, 95% CI: 2.5 to 4.0), and both male and female CEE migrants reported more injecting drug use (men: aOR 2.2, 95% CI: 1.3 to 3.9; women: aOR 3.0, 95% CI 1.1 to 8.1), than 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. Most 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.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Selected Correlates of High risk Sexual Behavior in Polish Migrants Resident in the United Kingdom

“…Although according to a study among central and eastern European (CEE) migrants to London [7], reports of prior STIs in this group were lower than in the general British population, 1.1% reported being HIV positive; this is a substantially higher prevalence than is estimated for British residents (0.09%). Of note, the majority (79%) of respondents from the CCE migrants study who reported being HIV positive were Polish by birth.…”

“…While some recent research conducted in Europe [7,8,9], as well as in some other continents [10,11], has pointed to international migration as being one of the factors influencing risky sexual behaviors, the change in these behaviors at an individual level after migration has not been thoroughly quantified to a satisfactory level [12,13]. Gaining insight into the differences in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) risk behavior patterns between pre- and post-migration stages can provide a broader contextual understanding of how the shift from these two migration stages specifically impacts such behavior.…”

Forming new sex partnerships while overseas: findings from the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes & Lifestyles (Natsal-3)

“…1 People, including migrants to the UK visiting their country of origin, travel for many reasons-leisure, business, study, to visit family and friends. [1][2][3] Some also travel expressly to have sex. 4 5 Even if sex is not an explicit motivation for travel, sexual encounters may be facilitated through opportunities to meet new people, the loosening of social taboos controlling sexual expression, a sense of anonymity that being away from home confers [5][6][7][8] and in the context of engaging in risk behaviours such as alcohol and drug use, which may also change when away from home.…”

The sexual health of migrants from Central and Eastern European countries in London: new methods and new data

“…This issue of Sexually Transmitted Infections contains three papers2–4 on the sexual health of Central and Eastern European (CEE) migrants in London within the SALLEE project (Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles of London's Eastern Europeans) 5. These papers show new data on the sexual and HIV risk behaviour of CEE migrants,2 their patterns of genitourinary clinic attendance and frequency of sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis3 and explore the sexual risk of CEE migrant men who have sex with men (MSM) 4…”