title: Demand for sexual health services during the Olympic Games: both sides of the Sherman effect.
abstract: To determine the impact of the Olympic Games the Sydney Sexual Health Centre database was accessed for demographic, health care utilization, and morbidity variables for two periods of interest: 15-29 September 2000 (the 'Olympic period'), and 1-30 September 1999 ('1999 comparison period'). Differences were tested by chi-square statistics and by calculation of odds ratios (ORs) using SPSS. During the Olympic period twice as many of the new patients had arrived in Australia that year (35% c.f. 18%: OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.49-4.05, P=0.0002). Per attendance the proportion with symptoms or a known sexually transmitted infection (STI) contact was higher during the Games (29% c.f. 16% OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.1.27-2.21, P=0.0002) and there was a marginally higher yield of bacterial STIs (6% c.f. 3%: OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.06-3.13 P=0.03). The normal clinic population was replaced by an increased proportion of symptomatic patients who were recent arrivals in Australia.
authors.affiliation: Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital, PO Box 1614, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia. mcnultya@sesahs.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McNulty
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rohrsheim
authors.forename: Basil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Donovan
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013177:Sports