title: The impact of migration on the sexual health, behaviours and attitudes of Central and East European gay/bisexual men in London.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Building on an earlier quantitative study which found that gay/bisexual men from Central and Eastern Europe were at greater risk of sexual ill health following migration to the UK, the aim of this qualitative study is to explore how the process of migration itself may have influenced the migrants' sexual behaviour and attitudes.
  
  
  METHODS
  To address these questions, we conducted 17 in-depth interviews in London with gay/bisexual male migrants from Central and Eastern Europe, drawing on Fisher and Fisher's Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model as an interpretive framework.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We find that the sexual behaviours of our respondents have been significantly influenced by the process of migration itself. In particular, extricating themselves from the traditional systems of social control in their home societies and having greater access to gay venues in London resulted in their increased sexual activity, particularly in the first phase of migration. High-risk sexual behaviour was found to be a factor of sexual mixing, the use of commercial sex and perceptions of risk in the UK vis-á-vis Central and Eastern Europe, with each of these factors also influenced by the process of migration. Risk-prevention behaviour depended upon the possession of appropriate risk-prevention information, motivation to use condoms and appropriate behavioural skills, with the latter two factors in particular influenced by social mores in the home country and the UK.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The interviews suggested a number of migration-related factors that increased the STI and HIV risk for these migrants. A number of potentially important policy recommendations stem from our analysis.
authors.affiliation: a School of Slavonic and East European Studies , London , UK.
authors.forename: Richard C M
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Mole
authors.forename: Violetta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Parutis
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gerry
authors.forename: Fiona M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Burns
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D011056:Political Systems; D036301:Qualitative Research; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data