Study Design

There are no foreseeable physical, psychological, social, or economical harms of joining the study. You may experience minor pain or slight discomfort during self-sampling.

Sample collection kits, basic delivery and testing in this study are free. 

Data collected will be used for research purpose only. All data will be password protected and accessed by designated research staff only. Research findings will be presented in aggregates not referrable to individuals. All collected data will be destroyed 5 years after completion of the study. Personal information of participants will not be disclosed. Remaining samples will be used only for the purpose of further investigation or validating results of the same study. 

This is an anonymous study. Your information and data will be kept strictly confidential. Only the designated research staff have access to the data and your information will not be disclosed to any third party, including your family members. 

You are eligible to participate if you have 
(1) received an invitation letter from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 
(2) aged 18 or above, 
(3) ever have sex, 
(4) normally living in Hong Kong and 
(5) could communicate in written and spoken English or Chinese. 

To participate, check the invitation letter for your Household Number, which is below the QR code. You can scan the QR code provided on the invitation letter to fill in the e-consent form, enter your Household Number and complete the online survey.

You can leave the study at any time. Your decision to leave will NOT incure any penalty. 

"Self-sampling" is the collection of samples by yourself without the assistance of clinical staff. The collected samples would be sent to the laboratory for testing. You can decide on the time, venue and setting for self-sampling.
If you agree to join, we will deliver a self-sampling kit (mainly for urine and swab collection) to your selected pick-up location. You only have to follow the self-sampling instruction and return the collected samples to us. 

 Men： All men are suitable for urine collection and HPV self-sampling.
Women： All women are suitable for urine collection, but HPV self-sampling is NOT suitable for below individuals:
Currently pregnant
Have ever had a (total) hysterectomy
Have ever been diagnosed with any types of genital cancers (i.e. cervical cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer or vaginal cancer, etc.)
Have ever been diagnosed with any impaired immunity (i.e. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, SLE) or on treatment for immunodeficiency (e.g. long-term steroids users)
 Please don't hesitate to contact us if you encounter any questions regarding self-sampling!

Self-sampling is simple and safe. You may refer to the instructions attached in the self-sampling package or watch this video for more information about female HPV self-sampling.

If samples have been as instructed, our laboratory would test for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis infections in urine samples, and human papillomavirus infection in swabs.

Test results will be sent back to you. Medical referral will be made if you are tested positive for Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis. 

Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis:
If tested positive, medical referral would be made for follow up

Human papillomavirus (HPV):
For male: No further action is needed. Thanks for helping us understand the epidemiology of HPV.
For female: If tested positive, recommendations would be made according to test results.