Background
Methods
Study design
Participants, setting and data collection
Sample size
Analysis
Results
Sample description, recruitment rate, participation rate
Parameter | Summary data | Percentage of women who reported willingness to complete self-sampled throat testing | Percentage of women who reported willingness to complete self-sampled extra-genital testing |
---|---|---|---|
Age (n = 422) (m, SD) | 20.5 (2.5) | N/A | N/A |
Age group (n = 422): n (%) | |||
Under 20 years | 161 (38.2) | 134 (83.2) | 71 (44.4) |
20 years and above | 261 (61.8) | 230 (88.1) | 178 (68.2) |
Total | 422 (100) | N/A | N/A |
Ethnicity (n = 422): n (%) | |||
White | 380 (90.0) | 329 (86.6) | 224 (59.1) |
Self-identified as non-white | 42 (10) | 35 (83.3) | 25 (59.5) |
Total | 422 (100) | N/A | N/A |
Sexuality (n = 422): n(%) | |||
Heterosexual | 352 (83.4) | 311 (88.4) | 205 (58.4) |
Other (Bisexual, prefer to self-describe, gay, bisexual, prefer not to say) | 70 (16.6) | 53 (75.7) | 44 (62.9) |
Total | 422 (100) | N/A | N/A |
Education (n = 408): n (%) | |||
No qualifications | 9 (2.2) | 7 (77.8) | 5 (55.6) |
Secondary education (compulsory)b | 37(9.1) | 28 (75.5) | 13 (35.1) |
Upper secondary education (optional)c | 221 (54.2) | 195 (88.2) | 129 (58.6) |
Vocational qualification (including SCQF levels 4, 5, 6, 8 and 11) | 18 (4.4) | 13 (72.2) | 9 (50.0) |
Further educationd | 118 (28.9) | 105 (89.0) | 81 (68.6) |
Higher educatione | 9 (2) | 5 (100) | 0 (0.00) |
Total | 408 (100) | N/A | N/A |
Deprivation levela (n = 367): n(%) | |||
Affluent | 71 (19.3) | 65 (91.5) | 45 (63.4) |
Intermediate | 183 (49.9) | 150 (82.0) | 105 (57.4) |
Deprived | 16 (4.4) | 14 (87.5) | 7 (43.8) |
Very deprived | 97 (26.4) | 85 (87.6) | 61 (62.8) |
Total | 367 (100) | N/A | N/A |
Smokers (n = 416): n (%) | |||
Yes | 110 (26.4%) | 90 (81.8) | 65 (59.1) |
No | 306 (74.6) | 244 (87.5) | 164 (59.0) |
Total | 416 (100) | N/A | N/A |
Previously tested positive for an STI (n = 422): n (%) | |||
Yes | 121 (28.7) | 114 (94.1) | 78 (64.5) |
No | 301 (71.3) | 250 (83.1) | 171 (57.0) |
Total | 422 (100) | N/A | N/A |
Data quality
Quantitative acceptability response
Variable | Willingness n(%) | Unwillingness n(%) | Unsure n(%) | Chi-square statistic (df) | p-value | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Previous positive STI test (n = 422) | Yes n(%) | 105 (94.1) | 9 (7.3)b | 9.11 (2) | 0.01 | |
No n(%) | 250 (83.1) 6 (75.0) | 51 (16.9)b | ||||
Sexuality (n = 422) | Heterosexual n(%) | 311 (88.4) | 16 (4.5) | 25 (7.1) | 7.97 (2) | 0.02 |
Othera n(%) | 53 (75.7) | 6 (8.6) | 11 (15.7) |
Variable | Willingness n(%) | Unwillingness n(%) | Unsure n(%) | Chi-square statistic (df) | p-value | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (n = 421) | < 20 years n(%) | 71 (44.4) | 61 (38.1) | 28 (17.5) | 24.31 (2) | 0.00 |
20 years and above n(%) | 178 (68.2) | 51 (19.5) | 32 (12.3) | |||
Number of sexual partners in the last 6 months (n = 418) | None n(%) | 14 (48.3) | 11 (37.9) | 4 (13.8) | 5.92 (6) | 0.43 |
1 n(%) | 87 (60.8) | 35 (24.5) | 21 (14.7) | |||
2–3 n(%) | 87 (55.4) | 45 (28.7) | 25 (15.9) | |||
More than 3 n(%) | 60 (67.4) | 20 (22.5) | 9 (10.1) | |||
Previous positive STI test (n = 421) | Yes n(%) | 78 (64.5) | 21 (17.4) | 22 (18.2) | 8.48 (2) | 0.08 |
No n(%) | 171 (57.0) | 91 (30.3) | 38 (12.7) |
Qualitative results
Feelings about the test
P: Obviously if it’s possible that you can have it without it being detected by the other swab it’s really good that it gets done in both areas [throat and rectum] now so I’m fine.I: Great. And how are you feeling about doing the anal swab as well?P: I’ve not done that one either. I guess I’m fine with it as well. Like they wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t for a purpose. So I guess if it means that it can protect people it’s a good things so I’m fine with doing it [laughs]. (P9/23)
I guess you can still have STDs without them coming up in the other tests. So it makes sense just to make sure that it’s not in any other places. I think it’s good cause a lot of people don’t realise you can get STDs even through just oral sex. So I think it’s quite good to raise awareness and also to pick it up as quickly as possible. (P9/23)
A little bit nervous about a throat swab just because like even brushing my teeth I usually make myself gag [laughs], so that’s just a little bit, I think it’ll be a bit tricky to do it. (P2/22)
Probably both of them will be uncomfortable but I don’t think it will be unbearable. (P14/19)
And also, I suppose, would be a bit worried like how far do you need to put that in for it to be, you know, to work. Whereas, with the vaginal one, because like I regularly, well not regularly but I have, I have vaginal sex so like, you know, it can go up where I don’t regularly do it the other side. (P12/24)
I’d be a bit maybe embarrassed like if it came out and there was like a bit of poo on it or something. (P12/24)
It’s not like scared but I’m being shy yeah. (P16/25)
I was speaking to my friend who’s gay. And he told me that at the men who have sex with men clinic it’s just standard procedure. And we were saying, ‘well if it’s, if it’s correct that it can, chlamydia can live elsewhere in your throat or like anus, then why is it even a, why, why do you even have a choice kind of thing? Like if they, like why not just say, ‘you need these tests?’ (P11/24)
I just felt like I had tae just dae it, just for precaution obviously (P1/23)
I just kind of think like no-one likes injections but everyone just deals with it. (P11/24)
P: It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was kind of, like, dreading the anal swab, but it actually wasn’t that bad.I: What was it that you were dreading about it?P: I don’t know, I just wasn’t sure if it was gonna be, like, uncomfortable, or anything, but it wasn’t, it was just kind of, I did it, it was over [laughs]. (P7/19)
I think the only thing with that one is that it was maybe a bit like flimsy. So I found trying to kinda guide, and I was sort of going, I was sort of using the mirror [both laugh] sort of, trying to sort of guide it in that way. I don’t know, maybe, it’d just be for me personally maybe one that was just a little bit like stiffer, I would have found more helpful. (P2/22)
P: The mouth one was easy, the other one was a bit more difficult cause I’d never had to do something like that [laughs] so but it was fine yeah.I: How was it difficult?P: Just because I wasn’t really used to, well sticking things [laughs] up there. (P9/23)
My only worry was, though, I still think, ‘did I do that right?’ (P12/ 24)
Location
I’d always be wary though ‘cause I’d feel like they wouldn’t be as accurate … it seems more official here. (P15/19)
I think [home testing] would like be good unless I had any questions because I knew that if I didn’t know what to do I could come out and ask. (P14/19)
I think it’s important to, for the first time you ever do it to come into the clinic because I really wouldn’t have known what I was doing. But I think once you’ve done it once in the clinic, I think having the option to do it at home if you’re pretty confident in what you can do. (P20/21)
I think I would prefer tae come in and just have it all set up instead a’ posting it. I think it’s a hassle tae post. I think it’s easier just to come in and have it all in the one place. … Yeah I think like I can just come in and everyone can just have the stuff there and give it to me. And I can just leave it there and you can give the results. But I think if you sent it out to me, I’d have to like go back, post it. I wouldn’t know where it’s going and things. (P13/21)
I think it would probably…like maybe make me more likely to do it. Like if I was really busy and I didn’t have time to do the commute both ways and be like wait to see somebody because obviously everybody here is really busy. So maybe if I didn’t have a lot of time it would be better to do it at home. (P14/19)
I mean sometimes people are warned off coming to these places because a’ the fear of someone they might see or, like, I have been in this situation where I’ve, I’ve taken my friend here and one of her past encounters was sitting with us [laughs]. So yeah I can see where it would be nice to have it at home and not have to deal with a whole situation. (P18/22)
I think it’s quite…very accepted nowadays in that, in like youth culture I guess. Like it’s not embarrassing to say that you’re going to the clinic even if people other than your friends overhear kind of thing. Like it’s very normalised. I don’t think there’s that much of a stigma around it. (P11/24)
I think especially a lot of people, especially if they are younger get embarrassed about coming in. … I think it’s, I dunno, I think kind of like I’m at an age now I’m kind of like I don’t see it as big deal. But I do remember being like sixteen, seventeen and I’d always be like, ‘oh I don’t want anyone to see me go in’. And you’d be worried that everyone would be like, ‘oh they’ve got chlamydia’. (P2/22)