Sexual behaviour and drug use among UK backpackers
NDARC Staff
Jan Copeland, Paul Dillon and Peter Gates
Other Investigators
Mark Bellis and Karen Hughes (John Moores University)
Rationale
The project has provided data that will substantially improve our understanding of the drug use and sexual behaviour of young tourists visiting Australia. Very little was previously known about the risk-taking behaviour of this group of young people. This data will inform both UK and Australian policy makers in developing targeted interventions aimed at reducing the negative consequences of drug use and sexual behaviour.
Aims
- to determine the extent of drug use and sexual risk taking behaviour by young people holidaying in Australia
- to compare types, frequencies and quantities of substances used by young people while holidaying in Australia with their patterns of use in the UK.
- to compare sexual behaviour of young people while holidaying in Australia with their behaviour in the UK.
- to compare the risk-taking behaviour of UK holidaymakers visiting dance resorts, such as Ibizia, to those who travel to Australia
Design and Method
Participants consisted of 1000 volunteers recruited from backpacker hostels and venues frequented by international visitors. The criteria for entry to the study was that participants must have been 16-35 years old,
a UK resident, travelling in Australia and not on a set package deal with a single hotel who have been in the country for at least two weeks. A self-completion questionnaire examined demographics, drug use and sexual behaviour both in their country of residence and in Australia. Similar questions have been used successfully in studies examining young UK holidaymakers in Ibiza.
Progress
Funding
John Moores University, Liverpool, UK