PubMed · 15709616
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Paul Grey. 2004. This life.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15709616/
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Unprotected sex among gay/bisexual men throughout the AIDS epidemic has usually been described as unintentional due to a relapse from safer sex behavior. The term "barebacking" emerged among HIV-positive men explicitly seeking unprotected sex with seroconcordant partners, but has come into use in the larger gay community to simply mean condomless sex. Some men have also taken on the identity as a "barebacker." The present study assessed prevalence and predictors of bareback identity in a sample 687 gay/bisexual men attending community events. Barebackers reported significantly more use of crystal methamphetamine and higher peer norms for unprotected sex; HIV-negative barebackers were higher in sexual compulsivity while HIV-positive barebackers were higher in romantic obsession as well as drug/alcohol influenced sexual expectancies. HIV prevention efforts targeting barebackers and barebacking must be carefully developed if programs and campaigns are to be effective given the open debates about this phenomenon in the gay community.
OBJECTIVE: To assess attitudes and beliefs about the menopausal transition in a population of peri- and postmenopausal women, and if these attitudes differed before and after publication of studies on risks and benefits with hormone therapy (HT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 1999 and 2003 all women aged 53 and 54 years in the community of Linköping, Sweden, were sent a questionnaire about use of HT, menopausal status and attitudes regarding menopause and HT. RESULTS: Most women regarded menopause as a natural process characterized by both hormonal deficiency and aging and these views did not differ between 1999 and 2003. A majority of women thought that significant climacteric symptoms were a good reason to use HT, but not that women without symptoms should use HT. The fraction of women who supported HT use was, however, significantly lower in 2003 than in 1999. Most women agreed that menopause leads to increased freedom and that it is a relief not to have to think about contraception and pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: Most Swedish women had a mainly biological view on menopause but nevertheless they thought that only women with climacteric symptoms should use HT. Women's attitudes towards HT have changed after recent reports on risks from long-term use of HT whereas the attitudes towards the menopausal transition were stable. Other factors than attitudes towards menopause affect women's actual use of HT. Probably women's and health care provider's apprehension of the risk-benefit balance of HT use is one such factor.
BACKGROUND: Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis in selected health care settings is underway in the UK despite insufficient evidence about the personal impact of screening. OBJECTIVES: To describe men and women's experiences of being screened for chlamydia as part of the Chlamydia Screening Studies (ClaSS) project, a population-based UK study of postal screening for chlamydia. METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews with 45 purposively sampled participants in the ClaSS project using a checklist of topics relating to their experiences of the screening process. Interviews were audio-tape recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the constant comparison method. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged: initial discomfort with screening arising from an unease with sexual health issues; anxiety, especially after receiving a positive test result, due to the fear of informing sexual partners, the risk of infertility and the possibility of having other undetected infections; women's concern about being stigmatised for having been infected with chlamydia, which affected how they felt about themselves and how they thought others would perceive them; and recognising the need to balance the harms of screening with the benefits. Despite some reported adverse effects, no one regretted their decision to be screened. CONCLUSIONS: Public education and discussion of sexually transmitted infections should help to increase the acceptability of chlamydia screening and destigmatise a diagnosis of chlamydia. Those working in primary care settings are likely to become increasingly involved in chlamydia screening and so must be suitably trained to inform individuals of the potential adverse effects and to deal with their consequences.