Public Health Research

A school-based social-marketing intervention to promote sexual health in English secondary schools: the Positive Choices pilot cluster RCT

  • Type:
    Extended Research Article Our publication formats
  • Headline:
    The Positive Choices intervention was well delivered and acceptable to students and staff, and the criteria for progression to a full trial were met.
  • Authors:
    Lucy Emmerson,
    Elizabeth Brocklehurst,
    Detailed Author information

    Ruth Ponsford1, Sara Bragg1, Elizabeth Allen1, Nerissa Tilouche1, Rebecca Meiksin1, Lucy Emmerson2, Laura Van Dyck1, Charles Opondo1, Steve Morris3, Joanna Sturgess1, Elizabeth Brocklehurst4, Alison Hadley5, GJ Melendez-Torres6, Diana Elbourne1, Honor Young7, Maria Lohan8, Catherine Mercer9, Rona Campbell10, Chris Bonell1,*

    • 1 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
    • 2 National Children’s Bureau Sex Education Forum (NCB SEF), London, UK
    • 3 University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
    • 4 Department of Health and Social Care, London, UK
    • 5 University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK
    • 6 University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
    • 7 Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
    • 8 Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK
    • 9 University College London, London, UK
    • 10 University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
    • * Corresponding author email: chris.bonell@lshtm.ac.uk
    • Declared competing interests of authors: Chris Bonell was a member of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research (PHR) programme research funding board (2013–2019). Rona Campbell is a member of the NIHR PHR programme research funding board (2018 to present). Lucy Emmerson reports funding from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, during the conduct of the study. Lucy Emmerson reports that the Sex Education Forum is hosted at the charity National Children’s Bureau and receives funding from a number of organisations; for example, income is generated through training contracts with local authorities, membership, and a grant programme delivered in partnership with the Anti-Bullying Alliance (also hosted at the National Children’s Bureau) and funded by the Government Equalities Office. All work operates under a clear set of values and principles that are in line with evidence-based comprehensive relationships and sex education and is, therefore, compatible with our contribution to Positive Choices. Steve Morris reports being a member of the following NIHR committees: NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research (HSDR) Funding Board, 2014–19; NIHR HSDR Commissioning Board, 2014–16; NIHR HSDR Evidence Synthesis Sub-board, 2016; NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Clinical Evaluation and Trials Board (associate member), 2007–10; NIHR HTA Commissioning Board, 2009–13; NIHR PHR Funding Board, 2011–17; NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research expert subpanel, 2015–19.

  • Funding:
    Public Health Research programme
  • Journal:
  • Issue:
    Volume: 9, Issue: 1
  • Published:
  • Citation:
    Ponsford R, Bragg S, Allen E, Tilouche N, Meiksin R, Emmerson L, et al. A school-based social-marketing intervention to promote sexual health in English secondary schools: the Positive Choices pilot cluster RCT. Public Health Res 2021;9(1). https://doi.org/10.3310/phr09010
  • DOI:
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