title: Testing for sexually transmitted infections among students: a discrete choice experiment of service preferences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess preferences among students for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing services, with a view to establishing strength of preference for different service attributes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Online discrete choice experiment (DCE) questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  South East of England.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of 233 students from two universities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusted ORs in relation to service characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study yielded 233 responses. Respondents' ages ranged from 16 to 34 years with a mean age of 22 years. Among this sample, the respondents demonstrated strong preferences for a testing service which provided tests for all STIs including syphilis, herpes and HIV (OR 4.1; 95% CI 3.36 to 4.90) and centres staffed by a doctor or nurse with specialist knowledge of STIs (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.78 to 2.37). Receiving all test results, whether positive or negative, was also significantly preferable to not being notified when tests were all negative ('no news is good news'; OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.5). The length of time waiting for an appointment and the method by which results are received were not significant service characteristics in terms of preferences. Patient level characteristics such as age, sex and previous testing experience did not predict the likelihood of testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that of the examined attributes, university students expressed the strongest preference for a comprehensive testing service. The next strongest preferences were for being tested by specialist STI staff and receiving negative as well as positive test results. However, it remains unclear how strong these preferences are in relation to characteristics which were not part of the study design and whether or not they are cost-effective.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health & Primary Care, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.
authors.forename: Carrie D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Llewellyn
authors.forename: Chloe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sakal
authors.forename: Mylene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagarde
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pollard
authors.forename: Alec H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Miners
keywords: sexually transmitted infection; testing