{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T02:17:46Z","timestamp":1780625866921,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,18]],"date-time":"2025-08-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755475200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":2447,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,2,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Rates of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) have increased over recent years among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in England and Wales. HIV diagnoses remain high in this group and men with diagnosed HIV are disproportionally affected by STIs. MSM are therefore a priority for health promotion efforts to reduce STIs. Understanding awareness of and attitudes towards STIs is essential in developing health promotion interventions to reduce prevalence. Methods: Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) with a total of 61 MSM in four English cities included a ranking exercise to gauge how \u2018scary\u2019 participants thought 11 STIs are. The exercise sought insights into participants\u2019 awareness of, knowledge about and attitudes towards STIs and blood-borne viruses (BBVs). FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed and data analysed thematically. Results: All groups ranked HIV and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) as the scariest infections, and the majority ranked syphilis and herpes as highly scary. Scabies was ranked as the least scary by most groups. Rankings were dependent on how well informed participants felt about an infection, its transmission mechanisms, health affect and the availability of vaccines and treatment. Personal experience or that of friends influenced perceptions of particular infections, as did their prevalence, treatment options, visibility of symptoms and whether an STI could be cleared from the body. Conclusions: The study findings suggest that, although some MSM are well informed, there is widespread lack of knowledge about the prevalence, modes of transmission, health implications and treatment regimens of particular STIs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1071\/sh18025","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,12,5]],"date-time":"2018-12-05T18:33:01Z","timestamp":1544034781000},"page":"18-24","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":24,"title":["Awareness of and attitudes to sexually transmissible infections among gay men and other men who have sex with men in England: a qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Jessica","family":"Datta","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ASigma Research, Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, England, UK."},{"name":"DThe National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, University College London \/ Public Health England \/ London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Reid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ASigma Research, Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, England, UK."},{"name":"DThe National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, University College London \/ Public Health England \/ London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gwenda","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BCentre for Population Research in Sexual Health and HIV, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK."},{"name":"CCentre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, Public Health England, London, UK."},{"name":"DThe National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, University College London \/ Public Health England \/ London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Catherine H.","family":"Mercer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BCentre for Population Research in Sexual Health and HIV, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK."},{"name":"DThe National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, University College London \/ Public Health England \/ London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sonali","family":"Wayal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BCentre for Population Research in Sexual Health and HIV, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK."},{"name":"CCentre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, Public Health England, London, UK."},{"name":"DThe National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, University College London \/ Public Health England \/ London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Weatherburn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ASigma Research, Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, England, UK."},{"name":"DThe National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, University College London \/ Public Health England \/ London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK."},{"name":"ECorresponding author. Email: peter.weatherburn@lshtm.ac.uk"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,12,6]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"2025102615512893300_R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"88","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2201.151331","article-title":"Increase in sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men, England, 2014.","volume":"22","author":"Mohammed","year":"2016","journal-title":"Emerg Infect Dis"},{"key":"2025102615512893300_R2"},{"issue":"15","key":"2025102615512893300_R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"21097","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES2015.20.15.21097","article-title":"Intensified shigellosis epidemic associated with sexual transmission in men who have sex with men - Shigella flexneri and S. sonnei in England, 2004 to end of February 2015.","volume":"20","author":"Simms","year":"2015","journal-title":"Euro 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