The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles enters its third decade
7 October 2008
The team behind the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) has secured £7.3 million of funding to carry out a new survey in 2010. This will be the third decade in a row that such a study is conducted across Britain. The research will make use of the latest technology and plans to include 15,000 men and women aged 16-74 who will be randomly selected and invited to participate. This will ensure that the survey represents views and lifestyles, from all walks of life, from all regions, and extends the age group to the older population.
Improving sexual health status is a national public health priority. This latest research will help to inform and evaluate interventions designed to achieve this goal. This time the survey will explore sexual well-being and not just ill-health, and help to understand the relationship between physical and sexual health throughout the life course. The research is funded by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department of Health. The research team will once again comprise researchers based at UCL (University College London), the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with collaborators from the Health Protection Agency and University of Manchester joining the team to study new areas.
While the 2010 survey will be based on the methods established in the previous surveys to allow comparisons to be made, it will also involve a number of new elements. As well as extending the age range, the survey will include anonymised biological data on STIs and sex hormone levels. It will also aim to understand human behaviour by adding a ‘qualitative’ component to the study. The research team will use self-completion computer technology that allows participants to ‘interview themselves’ in privacy, a method that has been shown to lead to more accurate reporting, especially on sensitive topics.
Professor Anne Johnson, Director of the UCL Division of Population Health, said: “The 1990 and 2000 NATSAL surveys provided a wealth of information on sexual lifestyles, the risk of sexually transmitted infections, as well as the use and preferences for sexual health services. The data have been widely used to guide policy for sexual health education and services in Britain. We are delighted at the award of the funding and hope the 2010 survey will help improve sexual health promotion and treatment services.”
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Notes:
- The NATSAL team: Professor Anne M. Johnson, Dr Cath Mercer Dr Pam Sonneneberg and Dr Andrew Copas University College London, Mr. Bob Erens and Heather Wardle, National Centre for Social Research, Professor Kaye Wellings and Wendy McDowall London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Professor Catherine Ison, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, and Professor Frederick Wu, University of Manchester.
- The NATSAL project is being funded by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department of Health, contributing approximately £3.3m, £2m, £1.6m and £0.5m to the total costs respectively.
- The Medical Research Council supports the best scientific research to improve human health. Its work ranges from molecular level science to public health medicine and has led to pioneering discoveries in our understanding of the human body and the diseases which affect us all. www.mrc.ac.uk
- The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. www.wellcome.ac.uk
- The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest funding agency for research, data resources and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It supports independent, high quality research which impacts on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC’s planned total expenditure in 2008/09 is £203 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and research policy institutes. More at http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk
