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`No worries!'

Young people's experiences of nurse-led drop-in sexual health services in South West England

Centre for Child & Adolescent Health, University of Bristol, jenny.ingram{at}bristol.ac.uk

Debra Salmon

Community Health Faculty of Health & Social Care, University of the West of England

`No Worries!' is a nurse-led drop-in sexual health service for young people in one Primary Care Trust in South West England. The service aims to provide sexual health promotion, contraception, STI testing and a range of health promotion advice. The service was evaluated from the young people's perspectives using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Attendance data, questionnaires and interviews explored patterns of use, effectiveness and acceptability of three clinics, two in areas of social deprivation and a third with increasing teenage conception rates.

Questionnaire data were collected from 153 young people (232 clinic attendances) and 18 were interviewed (aged 14—18 years). The pattern of service use varied across the clinics, with those from the lowest socio-economic community using fewer condoms, having more pregnancy tests and STI swabs. Average age of first intercourse was 15 years, and most visited the clinic after having sex rather than before. Young people found the service accessible and they highlighted close proximity to home and school, the drop-in nature, and confidentiality, professionalism and friendliness of staff. After using the service, respondents reported that they would be more likely to practise safer sex and change their behaviour.

The clinics appeared to match up to young people's expectations of the service, but did not manage to attract many boys. Young people said the service made them feel more confident, more informed about sex, aware of sexually transmitted diseases and take fewer risks.

Key Words: young people • sexual health • contraception • health promotion

Journal of Research in Nursing, Vol. 12, No. 4, 305-315 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1744987107075583


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