Understanding and addressing the surge in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Ireland is a national priority and will be a major focus of the next national sexual health strategy. Grounded in critical realism, our proposed project will explore the complex system of social change factors and interactions between individuals and their contexts that is driving increased STI prevalence.
Our main objectives are to generate policy-relevant insights that transcend traditional paradigms of public health research, paving the way for a new national sexual health strategy that includes effective and context-sensitive interventions to reduce the prevalence of STIs in Ireland, and to facilitate community involvement in this process.
The project will comprise four work packages:
The objective of Work Package 1 is to conduct a systematic review of literature examining recent increases in STIs internationally. This review will provide insights into the multifaceted interactions between factors such as STI testing and treatment, antimicrobial resistance, biomedical HIV prevention, sexual attitudes, and relevant legislation.
The objective of Work Package 2 is secondary analysis of relevant Irish data to elucidate the contextual factors contributing to STI epidemiology in Ireland.
The objective of Work Package 3 is to conduct qualitative interviews using an innovative lifecourse approach with the most affected communities – young people, gbMSM, and recent migrants – to explore barriers and facilitators to condom use, STI testing and other STI prevention strategies.
The objective of Work Package 4 is to employ participatory system mapping to engage partners relevant to sexual health policymaking in building an overview of the interacting factors underlying increased STI prevalence in Ireland based on our research and their experience.
Leveraging the EMTReK model and the Behaviour Change Wheel to design diverse knowledge tools, we will translate our findings into actionable policy recommendations and intervention strategies for STI prevention in Ireland.