Biomedical subjects

L Ku

Publications and source records attributed to L Ku.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Factors influencing early prenatal enrollment in the WIC program.

Women's access to prenatal nutrition services was explored using a nationally representative sample of pregnant participants in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in 1984. The probability was examined of the participant entering the program during her first trimester, rather than the second or third trimester. Other research has suggested that length of participation in the program during pregnancy is associated with increased birth weight. The data were adjusted for various personal and local operational factors, such as prior WIC participation, race, age, income, household size, WIC priority level, availability of prenatal or other health services, targeted outreach policies, years of local operation, and local agency size. Previous participation in the WIC Program was the only factor significantly associated with early enrollment (adjusted odds ratio 2.1). Race was marginally significant. Neither the presence of local policies of outreach targeted to pregnant women, nor co-location of WIC services with prenatal or other health services, showed significant effects on early enrollment.

Birth Weight↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The dynamics of young men's condom use during and across relationships.

According to data from the 1991 National Survey of Adolescent Males, condom use is likely to be highest at the beginning of relationships and to decline as the relationship continues. The proportion of sexually active men aged 17-22 who used a condom with their most recent partner declined from 53% the first time they had intercourse with that partner to 44% at the most recent episode. Condom use also decreases with age; 59% of 17-18-year-olds used a condom the first time they had intercourse with their most recent partner, compared with 56% of 19-20-year-olds and 46% of 21-22-year-olds. However, the probability that the female partner used the pill the first time that the couple had sex increased with the man's age--from 21% among 17-18-year-olds to 35% among 21-22-year-olds. Young men were more likely to have used a condom if they thought their partner was sexually inexperienced, and less likely to have done so if they suspected their partner was at high risk for an STD.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Factors influencing first intercourse for teenage men.

Analyses of a nationally representative survey of 1,880 15- to 19-year-old men were conducted to examine factors associated with (a) the age when first sexual intercourse occurred and (b) whether a condom or other contraceptive method was used at first intercourse. Discrete time-event history models assessed factors influencing their age until first intercourse. Black males began sexual activity significantly earlier than white or Hispanic males. Males who had been held back in school also began sexual activity earlier. If a respondent's mother had been a teenager when she first gave birth, or if his mother was employed during his childhood, he was more likely to initiate intercourse early. A variety of combinations of AIDS and sex education topics were examined for their association with one's age at the time of first intercourse: two topics were associated with earlier intercourse, and one was associated with delays in first intercourse. Logistic regression models examined correlates of using a condom or any effective male or female method of contraception at first intercourse: having received education about birth control was marginally associated with increased probability of using a condom or any effective male or female contraceptive method at first intercourse. These findings indicate the relevance of integrated approaches to school-based sex and AIDS education in delaying intercourse and promoting use of contraceptive methods.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in adolescent males' use of and attitudes toward condoms, 1988-1991.

Data from more than 1,000 sexually active young males interviewed in 1988 for the National Survey of Adolescent Males at ages 15-19 and reinterviewed in 1990-1991 at ages 17-22 show that as the respondents grew older, their condom use declined. Although respondents' attitudes about the effects of condoms on pregnancy risk, partner appreciation, sexual pleasure and embarrassment became more favorable toward condom use over time, their degree of worry about AIDS and their perceived likelihood of getting AIDS declined. When data on males aged 17.5-19 in each time period were contrasted, the level of condom use was found to be essentially constant. Several condom-related attitudes among this age-group had become more favorable, although their perceived risk of acquiring AIDS had diminished. Multivariate analyses revealed that decreased worry about AIDS and increased denial of the seriousness of AIDS were modestly associated with a decline in condom use. Change in condom use was also affected by change in perceived reduction in sexual pleasure and by female partner's appreciation of condom use.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Age differences between minors who give birth and their adult partners.

The role of adult men in adolescent childbearing has received heightened attention in recent years, and a new policy efforts have focused on statutory rape laws as a way to reduce adolescent childbearing. Analyses of the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey indicate, however, that these policies would not apply to most teenage births. Among mothers aged 15-17 who had a child in 1988, 27% had a partner at least five years older than themselves. In addition, since 23% of minors with older partners were married at the time of the infant's birth, 21% of babies born to unmarried minors were fathered by substantially older men. While births to young mothers and older men raise social concerns, these births make up a small share of all teenage childbearing: Only 8% of all births to 15-19-year-olds are to unmarried minors with a partner five or more years older.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Young men's experience with condom breakage.

In a nationally representative sample of men aged 17-22, 23% of those using condoms reported experiencing at least one condom break during the previous 12 months. Of all condoms used, 2.5% had broken. In multivariate analyses, increased experience with condoms reduced the likelihood of experiencing condom breakage. Recent sex education was associated with an almost 80% decrease in the risk of breakage among young men who used condoms infrequently. Young males who had ever had a sexually transmitted disease (STD), or whose sexual partner had had an STD, were almost three times as likely as other respondents to have experienced condom breakage. In addition, young men with a household income of less than $60,000 were 2-3 times as likely to have broken a condom as were those with a higher household income.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Understanding changes in sexual activity among young metropolitan men: 1979-1995.

CONTEXT: Changes in the sexual behavior of teenagers can have a significant impact on levels of adolescent pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Understanding the role played by attitudes and educational efforts will provide critical prevention information. METHODS: Data on the sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, educational experiences and demographics of 2,087 never-married metropolitan males aged 17-19 from the 1979 National Survey of Young Men and the 1988 and 1995 waves of the National Survey of Adolescent Males were analyzed through multivariate methods to examine factors that predict sexual behavior as well as those that predict sexual attitudes. RESULTS: The percentage of males aged 17-19 who had ever had sex increased from 66% in 1979 to 76% in 1988 and then decreased to 68% in 1995. The frequency of sexual intercourse in the year prior to the survey increased significantly over time, although the lifetime number of sexual partners did not. Acceptance of premarital sex increased significantly from 1979 to 1988, then decreased significantly from 1988 to 1995. Over time, young men were increasingly likely to prefer having and supporting a baby to marriage, abortion or adoption as the resolution to a nonmarital pregnancy. Trends in attitudes were strongly associated with sexual behaviors, with more conservative attitudes predicting less sexual activity. AIDS education, which was nearly universal in 1995, was associated with decreased sexual activity, although not among black youths. CONCLUSIONS: More conservative sexual attitudes and increased exposure to AIDS education are key predictors of decreased sexual activity among adolescent males. However, broader societal factors, such as fear of AIDS and increased awareness of problems associated with teenage pregnancy and STDs, may underlie both attitudinal and behavioral changes.

Adolescent↗