Sex, gender and place: An analysis of youth's experiences with sexually transmitted infection testing

Many young men and women experience serious health and social problems related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The public health impetus to conduct testing for common STIs, such as Chlamydia, is strong. For example, in BC, Chlamydia rates among youth are above the national average and are increasing. Significant health gains remain to be made in this area and emerging evidence indicates that social context and structural factors also are important determinants of young people¿s utilization of STI testing. The proposed study will use ethnographic techniques (e.g., fieldwork, in-depth interviews with youth, on-line journals) to develop rich descriptions of youth¿s experiences with STI testing in three types of places in BC (e.g., a large urban centre; a mid-size city that is geographically isolated; a small, rural and remote community). The study will include the following sites in BC: Vancouver/Richmond; Prince George, and 100 Mile House. In the analysis, we will identify the ways in which sex, gender, and place concomitantly affect youth¿s experiences with STI testing. Ultimately, the new information gathered during this study will be used to identify and carry out preliminary assessments of strategies to enhance the gender-sensitivity and place-appropriateness of STI testing services for youth.