Search

Aims: To investigate whether the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Scotland on 1 May 2018 was reflected in changes in the likelihood of alcohol‐related queries submitted to an internet search engine, and in particular whether there was any evidence of increased interest in purchasing of alcohol from outside Scotland. Design Observational study in which individual queries to the internet Bing search engine for 2018 in Scotland and England were captured and analysed. Fluctuations over time in the likelihood of specific topic searches were examined. The patterns seen in Scotland were contrasted with those in England. Setting: Scotland and England. Participants: People who used the Bing search engine during 2018. Measurements Numbers of daily queries submitted to Bing in 2018 on eight alcohol‐related topics expressed as a proportion of queries on that day on any topic. These daily likelihoods were smoothed using a 14‐day moving average for Scotland and England separately. Findings There were substantial peaks in queries about MUP itself, cheap sources of alcohol and online alcohol outlets at the time of introduction of MUP in May 2018 in Scotland, but not England. These were relatively short‐lived. Queries related to intoxication and alcohol problems did not show a MUP peak, but were appreciably higher in Scotland than in England throughout 2018. Conclusions: Analysis of internet search engine queries appears to show that a fraction of people in Scotland may have considered circumventing minimum unit pricing in 2018 by looking for on‐line alcohol retailers. The overall higher levels of queries related to alcohol problems in Scotland compared with England mirrors the corresponding differences in alcohol consumption and harms between the countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares trends in sexual risk among gay men in London, England and in Glasgow, Scotland. The trends in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), UAI with partners of unknown/discordant HIV status and UAI with more than 1 partner were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Each rose significantly in 1999 and 2002 in London, but only in 2002 in Glasgow. HIV testing levels were lower in Glasgow, while sexual risk was higher in London.

Introduction: Partner notification (PN) is a process aiming to identify, test and treat the sex partners of people (index patients) with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Accelerated partner therapy (APT) is a PN method whereby healthcare professionals assess sex partners, by telephone consultation, before giving the index patient antibiotics and STI self-sampling kits to deliver to their sex partner(s). The Limiting Undetected Sexually Transmitted infections to RedUce Morbidity programme aims to determine the effectiveness of APT in heterosexual women and men with chlamydia and determine whether APT could affect Chlamydia trachomatis transmission at population level., Methods and Analysis: This protocol describes a cross-over cluster randomised controlled trial of APT, offered as an additional PN method, compared with standard PN. The trial is accompanied by an economic evaluation, transmission dynamic modelling and a qualitative process evaluation involving patients, partners and healthcare professionals. Clusters are 17 sexual health clinics in areas of England and Scotland with contrasting patient demographics. We will recruit 5440 heterosexual women and men with chlamydia, aged ≥16 years.The primary outcome is the proportion of index patients testing positive for C. trachomatis 12-16 weeks after the PN consultation. Secondary outcomes include: proportion of sex partners treated; cost effectiveness; model-predicted chlamydia prevalence; experiences of APT.The primary outcome analysis will be by intention-to-treat, fitting random effects logistic regression models that account for clustering of index patients within clinics and trial periods. The transmission dynamic model will be used to predict change in chlamydia prevalence following APT. The economic evaluation will use mathematical modelling outputs, taking a health service perspective. Qualitative data will be analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis and framework analysis., Ethics and Dissemination: This protocol received ethical approval from London-Chelsea Research Ethics Committee (18/LO/0773). Findings will be published with open access licences., Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN15996256., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)