Increased Attendances of People of Eastern European Origin at Sexual Health Services in London

The study authors sought to describe the service use of migrants from eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries at two genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in central London before and after accession to the European Union on May 1, 2004.

KC60 diagnostic data referring to new attendances and excluding follow-up appointments from June 1, 2001, to April 30, 2007, were used.

During the study period, 102,604 people attended the clinics at least once. Between May 2006 and April 30, 2007, persons born in the eight CEE countries comprised 7.9 percent of attendances among women and 2.5 percent among men, with the proportion increasing significantly over the six-year study period (p
"CEE migrants already have a substantial impact on GUM services in London. If attendance rates continue at the current level, CEE women will soon account for over 10 percent of new attendances," the authors noted. "Although the majority of CEE migrants are men, proportionately fewer CEE men accessed GUM services than women. Sexual and reproductive health services need to adapt quickly to meet the needs of this growing population," they concluded.

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