RUBSI joins EMIS
RUBSI has joined in early September the EMIS European Project as a Collaborating partner.
EMIS is the largest international study ever conducted onhomosexually active men. Surveys of sexual behaviour and preventionneeds among men who have sex with men (MSM) have mainly been conductedon national levels. Due to different sampling methods (particularlyInternet‐based vs. venue‐based), and because of similar, but notidentical questions, a harmonisation of indicators is needed, e.g. toallow reporting of comparable data to the European Centre for DiseasePrevention and Control (ECDC). In the last decade,MSM social networkingand other websites have been shown to be (cost‐)effective and validmeans for recruitment of respondents, and are thus increasingly usedfor surveying MSM in particular.
The European MSM Internet Survey(EMIS) is a joint project of academic, governmental, andnon‐governmental partners from 33 countries in Europe (EU andneighbouring countries) to simultaneously run an online questionnairein 25 different languages: български език, Čeština, Dansk, Deutsch,Eesti keel, Ελληνικά, English, Español, Français, Italiano, Latviešuvalodam, Lietuvių kalba, Magyar nyelv, Nederlands, Norsk, Polski,Português, Română, Pусский язык, Slovenščina, Srpski, Svenska, Suomi,Türkçe, Yкраї́нська мо́ва.
EMIS is designed to collectself‐reported data from MSM across Europe. This data can be used to beincluded in national follow‐up surveys for behavioural surveillance,but also for cross‐sectional analyses – comparing different groups ofMSM, comparing different countries or regions, etc. EMIS is the firststudy in which a direct comparison of data on homosexuality, homosexualbehaviour, and STIs among 33‐40 countries can be undertaken. For someof the participating countries, it will generate the first empiricaldata on homosexuality.
EMIS results will inform the planning ofprevention interventions for MSM by identifying prevention needscommonly unmet across MSM (priority aims), and subgroups of MSM whohave many prevention needs poorly met (priority target groups). EMIS isco‐funded by a grant of the European Union (EU Health Programme2008‐2013).
30th Sep. 2010