Associated organisationsLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · National Centre for Social research · University College London · University of Glasgow · Örebro UniversityEurope PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding£7.2M
PeriodMay 2019 — May 2024
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Since 1990, more than 45,000 people across Britain have taken part in the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal), and the team now plans to interview another 10,000 individuals aged 15 to 59 in 2020. This matters because the UK lacks up-to-date, representative data on sexual behaviour, sexually transmitted infections, and the social factors that shape intimate life. Without this information, sexual health clinics, schools, and public health agencies design interventions and guidelines based on outdated or incomplete evidence. Natsal-4 will collect urine and vaginal samples to test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, *Mycoplasma genitalium*, trichomoniasis, and HPV, and will link survey responses to health records and geospatial data. If successful, the resource will give policymakers and clinicians a precise, population-level picture of who is at risk, what behaviours are changing across generations, and where to target prevention efforts. The project is primarily a data infrastructure and monitoring exercise, not a test of a specific hypothesis, but its repeated cross-sectional design has already revealed major societal shifts—such as the decline in age at first intercourse and the rise of digital dating—that quietly shape public health strategy.
View original technical description
The National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) are large probability-sample bio-behavioural surveys, representative of the British population. Together, Natsal-1 (1990-1991), Natsal-2 (1999-2001) and Natsal-3 (2010-2012) have interviewed >45,000 men and women, spanning those born through much of the 20th Century. Natsal’s repeat cross-sectional design enables a contemporary picture to be presented while also capturing generational changes and broad societal shifts through the measurement of both period and birth cohort effects. Natsal provides evidence of the context, influences and consequences of sexual lifestyles, and is vital for informing national and international sexual health interventions, strategies, and guidelines. We seek LPS core support to create a comprehensive resource for the research community, policymakers, clinicians, educators and the public. We will update and enhance the Natsal resource by undertaking a survey of ~10,000 individuals aged 15-59 in 2020 (Natsal-4). We will use computer-assisted personal interviews and collect urine/vaginal samples to test for STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, Mycoplasma genitalium, trichomoniasis, HPV) and biobank these for future research. The resource will be expanded through linkage to health, administrative and geospatial datasets. Through stakeholder engagement and a proactive data sharing policy, the Natsal resource will maximise its reach, scientific potential and impact.
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