Respect Yourself intervention development
A study to develop a theory- and evidence-based intervention to increase sexual health service uptake
Role: Project lead
Funder: West Midlands (South) Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC)
Dates: 2011-2012
Background
In order to be able to effectively manage their sexual health, people must be able to access sexual health services for a range of purposes e.g. testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), obtaining pre and post abortion support and counselling, and raising concerns such as sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Young people have the greatest need to access sexual health services yet paradoxically this group report an array of barriers to accessing them including concerns about confidentiality, anonymity, and stigma, shame, embarrassment, fear of examination, and not knowing what services provide, where they are or how to access and negotiate them.
What did we do?
Using Intervention Mapping and working with young people and other key stakeholders, we co-designed an intervention (embedded within the website 'Respect Yourself') to increase the uptake of sexual health services by young people aged 13-19 years.
What did we develop?
The intervention encompasses 1) a ‘service finder’ which enables users to identify services by geographical location and find out key information such as opening times and how to get there; 2) a ‘what to expect’ section containing a number of videos which aim to help prepare users, provide reassurance, and demonstrate that professionals are welcoming and supportive of young people accessing services; 3) a ‘last minute wobbles’ feature which addresses common worries that young people have about visiting sexual health services; and 4) ‘request slips’ which young people can print off or display on their device which inform reception staff within services of the reason for their visit. Targeted determinants were: attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and knowledge.
Impact
Although the Respect Yourself website was set up for use within the West Midlands, evidence indicated significant international reach. In the 9 months after its launch in July 2012, it was visited 164,463 times (data from Google analytics), with visitors from over 20 countries worldwide. The significance of the resource was demonstrated by good repeat use of the site, with 30% of unique users having visited the site previously. One year after its launch the resource was still attracting more than 6000 visitors per month (data from Google analytics August 2013). In 2014 and 2015, licenses to replicate the Respect Yourself website were purchased from the group by Gloucestershire County Council and Doncaster City Council respectively, and new sister versions of the website and content were produced for each of these local authorities. Department of Health guidance recognised Respect Yourself as best practice in the use of technology to support the promotion of good relationships and sexual health. This project was featured in a REF 2014 impact case study which was singled out has having 'elements of outstanding impact'. Unfortunately, in 2019 Respect Yourself was removed due to local objection about content on the wider website (outside of that developed by the research team).
Publications
Related projects
The effect of Respect Yourself on the targeted outcomes was evaluated in 2012 (see project: 'Respect Yourself evaluation').