Demand for sexual health services during the Olympic Games: both sides of the Sherman effect

Abstract

To determine the impact of the Olympic Games the Sydney Sexual Health Centre database was accessed for demographic, health care utilization, and morbidity variables for two periods of interest: 15-29 September 2000 (the 'Olympic period'), and 1-30 September 1999 ('1999 comparison period'). Differences were tested by chi-square statistics and by calculation of odds ratios (ORs) using SPSS. During the Olympic period twice as many of the new patients had arrived in Australia that year (35% c.f. 18%: OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.49-4.05, P=0.0002). Per attendance the proportion with symptoms or a known sexually transmitted infection (STI) contact was higher during the Games (29% c.f. 16% OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.1.27-2.21, P=0.0002) and there was a marginally higher yield of bacterial STIs (6% c.f. 3%: OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.06-3.13 P=0.03). The normal clinic population was replaced by an increased proportion of symptomatic patients who were recent arrivals in Australia.