Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Communication Methods, Total”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 739 records · Page 41Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Seroprevalence of hepatitis A infection in a low endemicity country: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: In Canada--a low endemicity country, vaccines for hepatitis A virus (HAV) are currently recommended to individuals at increased risk for infection or its complications. Applying these recommendations is difficult because the epidemiology of HAV infection is poorly defined, complex, and changing. This systematic review aimed to 1) estimate age-specific prevalence of HAV antibody in Canada and 2) evaluate infection-associated risk factors. METHODS: MEDLINE (1966-2005) and EMBASE (1980-2005) were searched to identify relevant studies for the systematic review. Archives for the Canada Diseases Weekly Report (1975-1991) and Canada Communicable Disease Report (1992-2005) were searched for relevant public health reports. Data were abstracted for study and participants' characteristics, age-specific prevalence, and risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 36 reports describing 34 unique studies were included.The seroprevalence in Canadian-born children was approximately 1% in ages 8-13, 1-6% in 20-24, 10% in 25-29, 17% in 30-39, and increased subsequently. In age groups below 20 and 20-29, age-specific seroprevalence generally remained constant for studies conducted across geographic areas and over time. Compared to Canadian-born individuals, subjects born outside Canada were approximately 6 times more likely to be seropositive (relative risk: 5.7 [95% CI 3.6, 9.0]). Travel to high risk areas in individuals aged 20-39 was associated with a significant increase in anti-HAV seropositivity (RR 2.8 [1.4, 5.5]). Compared to heterosexuals, men having sex with men were only at a marginally higher risk (adjusted odds ratio 2.4 [0.9, 6.1]). High risk for seropositivity was also observed for Canadian First Nations and Inuit populations. CONCLUSION: Results from the current systematic review show that in this low endemicity country, disease acquisition occurs in adulthood rather than childhood. The burden of disease is high; approximately 1 in 10 Canadians had been infected by ages 24-29. The increase in prevalence in young adults coincides with disease importation and increasing frequency of risk factors, most likely behavioral-related ones. Gaps in seroprevalence data were identified rendering the application of current immunization recommendations difficult. A nationwide prevalence survey for all Canadians is needed. This is essential to quantify the effectiveness of current recommendations and conduct cost-effectiveness evaluations of alternative immunization programs, if necessary.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

The quality assurance committee in a general hospital: its use in improvement of the medical record.

A twice-yearly audit of a sample of medical records from each department of a general hospital was initiated by a quality assurance committee and pursued for 8 years. Missing entries that were considered obligatory for good medical performance of each service were identified, and the results (expressed as percent of missing entries of the total) were communicated in graphic form to the specific departments and the senior staff of the hospital. This approach led to an improvement in the medical records (decrease of missing entries), which may reflect a higher quality of medical care. Thus, a sequential audit of medical records by a quality assurance committee may constitute a simple and effective method of monitoring and improving physicians' knowledge and performance.

Hospitals, District↗
PubMed2004

Developing and adapting a family-based diabetes program at the U.S.-Mexico border.

CONTEXT: The prevalence of diabetes among Hispanics is more than twice that of non-Hispanic whites in communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. The University of Arizona and two community health agencies on the Arizona border, Campesinos Sin Fronteras and Mariposa Community Health Center, collaborated to design, pilot and assess the feasibility of a lay health-outreach worker- (promotora-) delivered diabetes education program for families. La Diabetes y La Unión Familiar was developed to build family support for patients with diabetes and to teach primary prevention behaviors to family members. METHOD: Community and university partners designed a culturally appropriate program addressing family food choices and physical activity, behavior change, communication, and support behaviors. The program offers educational content and activities that can be presented in home visits or multifamily group sessions. Community partners led the implementation, and university partners guided the evaluation. CONSEQUENCES: Seventy-two families (249 total participants) including children and grandchildren participated. Preintervention and postintervention questionnaires completed by adults (n = 116) indicate a significant increase in knowledge of eight diabetes risk factors (P values for eight factors range from < 001 to .006) and a significant increase in family efficacy to change food (P < .001) and activity behaviors (P < .001). Interviews with participants highlight the program's positive psychosocial impact. INTERPRETATION: Community and university collaboration involved building upon the promotoras' expertise in engaging the community and the university's expertise in program design and evaluation. A promotora-delivered family-based diabetes prevention program that emphasizes family support, communication, and health behaviors is feasible and can yield change in family knowledge, attitude, and behavior relative to diabetes risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Mobile phone related-hazards and subjective hearing and vision symptoms in the Saudi population.

OBJECTIVES: Over the past decade utilization of mobile phones has dramatically increased. They are now an essential part of business, commerce, and communication, however, their use may lead to health problems. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate a link between the use of mobile phones and hearing and vision symptoms in the Saudi population and also to contribute to the increase in social awareness of health problems associated with the use of these devices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 873 (57.04% of males and 39.86% of females) subjects using mobile phones were invited to participate in the presented study. A structured questionnaire was distributed among them to collect a detailed medical history. The Chi-square test was employed to observe the relationship between duration of calls and hearing and vision complaints. RESULTS: The present study showed an association between the use of mobile phones and hearing and vision complaints. About 34.59% of problems were related with impaired hearing, ear ache and/or warmth on the ear, and 5.04% of complaints with the decreased and/or blurred vision. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the use of mobile phone is a health risk factor, and thus it is suggested that excessive use of mobile phones should be avoided and social awareness increased through health promotion activities, such as group discussions or public presentations and via electronic and printed media sources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Using linguistic analysis to explore medicine counter assistants' communication during consultations for nonprescription medicines.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to undertake linguistic analysis of consultations between medicine counter assistants (MCAs) and customers for the supply of nonprescription medicines. METHODS: The linguistic corpus comprised 168 recorded and transcribed consultations. Utterances were tagged as information eliciting, information or advice giving and other. The analysis focused on triads, beginning and ending with an MCA utterance (MCA(1)-->customer's response-->MCA(2)). The use of the mnemonic, WWHAM (Who for, What symptoms, How long, Any medicine tried, other Medication taken) was also analysed. RESULTS: A total of 505 triads were identified. Of the 773 utterances, 61% were information eliciting, 13% were information giving, 14% were advice giving and 11% were "other" or unclassifiable. No consultation involved WWHAM in its entirety. CONCLUSION: MCAs do not appear to have been made sufficiently aware of the ways in which their exchanges with customers during consultations for nonprescription medicines are crucially different from natural conversation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In order to help customers decide upon an appropriate nonprescription medicine, the MCA has the role of both informing and advising. Training should focus on informing and advising as distinct functions, and the potential problems caused by combining them.

Communication↗
PubMed2006

Design and evaluation of a workplace intervention to promote organ donation.

BACKGROUND: A number of efforts have been made to improve rates of deceased organ donation. However, few have been specifically designed for implementation in the workplace. OBJECTIVES: To design and evaluate a workplace intervention to increase documentation of intention to be posthumous organ donors, communication of donation intention to families, and family members' documentation of their donation intentions. METHODS: The study was a randomized controlled trial of corporate employees. Within each corporation, worksites were randomized to a control condition or 1 of 2 educational interventions. Measures included baseline and 1-month postintervention measures of stage of organ donation intention, stage of family notification, and family members' organ donation intention. RESULTS: Across 12 corporations, 40 worksites with a total of 754 participants were randomized. At 1-month follow-up, 495 participants (66%) completed a posttreatment questionnaire. The percentage of participants who signed organ donor cards increased in the 2 intervention groups (29%, P < .001, and 31%, P < .002) but not in the control group (17%, P = .454). The percentage who discussed their donation intentions with family members increased significantly across all 3 arms (39%-47%, P < .001). The mean percentage of participants' family members who signed organ donor cards increased by 14% in the control group (P = .016) and by 17% in the 2 intervention groups (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Educational interventions in the corporate workplace setting can be effective in increasing organ donation intention, family notification, and recruitment of family members as potential organ donors.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The interpreter as cultural educator of residents: improving communication for Latino parents.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether augmentation of the Spanish interpreter's role to include cultural education of residents can improve the satisfaction of Latino patients. DESIGN: We assessed parent satisfaction during 4 sequential 2-month periods between June 1, 2004, and February 11, 2005, using different interpretation methods: telephone interpretation (n = 91 patient encounters), trained in-person interpretation (n = 49), in-person interpretation with cultural education of residents (n = 65), and postprogram telephone interpretation (n = 45). SETTING: General pediatric practice at a large teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 250 Spanish-speaking parents who were limited in English proficiency. INTERVENTIONS: The cultural education program included 3 brief preclinic conferences taught by an interpreter and one-on-one teaching of residents about language and cultural issues after each clinical encounter. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parent satisfaction was assessed using 8 questions that have previously been validated in Spanish. Lower scores indicated more satisfaction. RESULTS: Because they were limited in English proficiency, our Spanish-speaking patients were significantly more satisfied when an in-person interpreter was used compared with a telephone interpreter (mean total satisfaction score of 14.5 [in-person] vs 17.4 [telephone]; P = .006) but were even more satisfied when the interpreter educated residents in cultural and language issues (mean, 11.5 [in-person with education] vs 17.4 [telephone]; P<.001). CONCLUSION: Although use of an in-person interpreter can increase Latino parents' satisfaction, a program using an interpreter to educate residents in cultural and language issues can increase satisfaction further.

Acculturation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of two measures of parent-child interaction.

BACKGROUND: The numerous parent-child interaction measures available include few that are appropriate to brief clinical encounters or to research settings where time, cost, space, and subject burden are critical factors. OBJECTIVES: This study compares the newer Mother-Infant Communication Screening (MICS) with the established Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) Teaching Scale (NCAT). METHODS: Theoretical foundations, development, administration, support, and published psychometrics for the two scales are contrasted. Videotapes of 171 caregiver-child interactions in an urban, Hispanic, high-risk sample (children aged 5 months to 36 months) were scored by two trained coders who had established inter-rater reliabilities of.90 (NCAT) and.85 (MICS). RESULTS: Validity correlation coefficients were r =.504, p <.001 for total scores and r =.492, p <.001 for the two most comparable subscales. Distress was defined more narrowly by the MICS. Internal consistencies were.89 to.94 (MICS total scores) (depending on choice of subscales used) and.79 (NCAT). CONCLUSIONS: The NCAT has established strengths for use in clinical practice and research and provides dyadic and separate mother and child scores. The MICS is more feasible for brief clinical screening and performed in this study with promising correlate validity and internal consistency across ages (infancy through 3 years). Interpretation would be strengthened if more clinical studies verifying scores with risk categories were performed and if normative data were established.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed2005

Impact of a food-based approach to improve iron nutrition of at-risk infants in northern Canada.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the impact of a food-based approach in promoting iron-rich complementary feeding for mothers with infants at-risk for iron deficiency anemia (IDA). METHODS: A repeat cross-sectional design was used to assess the impact of communication strategies to disseminate key messages promoting iron-rich complementary food. Two groups of mothers with infants, aged 7-10 months, at Time 1 (n = 32; response rate = 64%) and Time 2 (n = 22; response rate = 48%) were interviewed. Main outcome variables were infants' total iron and complementary food iron intakes measured by two 24-h recalls. RESULTS: Complementary food iron intake increased between Time 1 (3.2 +/- 0.8 mg) and Time 2 (4.4 +/- 1.1 mg) (P < 0.05). The estimated prevalence of inadequacy was 56% (95% CI = 38%, 74%) for infants at Time 1 and 41% (95% CI = 20%, 62%) for infants at Time 2; however, this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: A food-based approach, promoted in a community with infants at-risk for IDA, can positively contribute to improved intake of complementary food iron as well as provide a sustainable and relevant prevention strategy.

Anemia, Iron-Deficiency↗
PubMed2000

Thought disorder index of Finnish adoptees and communication deviance of their adoptive parents.

BACKGROUND: Diverse forms of thought disorder, as measured by the Thought Disorder Index (TDI), are found in many conditions other than schizophrenia. Certain thought disorder categories are primarily manifest during psychotic schizophrenic episodes. The present study examined whether forms of thought disorder qualify as trait indicators of vulnerability to schizophrenia in persons who are not clinically ill, and whether these features could be linked to genetic or environmental risk or to genotype-environment interactions. The Finnish Adoptive Study of Schizophrenia provided an opportunity to disentangle these issues. METHODS: Rorschach records of Finnish adoptees at genetic high risk but without schizophrenia-related clinical diagnoses (N = 56) and control adoptees at low genetic risk (N = 95) were blindly and reliably scored for the Thought Disorder Index (TDI). Communication deviance (CD), a measure of the rearing environment, was independently obtained from the adoptive parents. RESULTS: The differences in total TDI between high-risk and control adoptees were not statistically significant. However, TDI subscales for Fluid Thinking and Idiosyncratic Verbalization were more frequent in high-risk adoptees. When Rorschach CD of the adoptive rearing parents was introduced as a continuous predictor variable, the odds ratio for the Idiosyncratic Verbalization component of the TDI of the high-risk adoptees was significantly higher than for the control adoptees. CONCLUSIONS: Specific categories of subsyndromal thought disorder appear to qualify as vulnerability indicators for schizophrenia. Genetic risk and rearing-parent communication patterns significantly interact as a joint effect that differentiates adopted-away offspring of schizophrenic mothers from control adopted-away offspring.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Transport and metabolism of extracellular free fatty acids in adipose tissue of fed and fasted mice.

We used a new tracer technique, direct tracer injection of [1-14C]palmitate-serum albumin into extracellular fluid (ECF) of epididymal fat pads, to study relative transport rates of ECF-free fatty acids (FFA) to cell-FFA and subsequent esterification to diglyceride fatty acid (DGFA) and triglyceride fatty acid (TGFA) in adipose tissue versus movement of ECF- and cell-FFA into the circulation of mice fed ad libitum or fasted 48 hr. Radioactivity was measured in the following fractions at varying times (for 1 hr): ECF-FFA, cell-FFA, cell-DGFA, cell-TGFA, plasma-FFA (total lipids), and breath CO2. Pool sizes of ECF-FFA, cell-FFA, cell-TGFA, and plasma-FFA were determined. Analysis by multicompartmental methods (SAAM) indicates that the ECF-FFA compartment of epididymal fat pads is in a relatively rapid exchange with a cellular-FFA compartment, but neither is in direct, nor appreciably rapid, communication with circulating FFA. FFA is rapidly esterified in adipocytes of fed mice, but esterification is significantly inhibited in mice fasted for 48 hr. In both dietary states, essentially all labeled FFA appearing in the circulation was derived from ECF-FFA that were first transferred to the cell, esterified to TGFA, then hydrolyzed to FFA before being transported to the circulation.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1995

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound in the evaluation of collateral blood flow in patients with internal carotid artery occlusion: correlation with cerebral angiography.

PURPOSE: To determine the accuracy of transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound for evaluation of collateral supply through the circle of Willis in patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion. METHODS: The evaluation of the collateral pathways through the circle of Willis with TCD ultrasound and with cerebral angiography was compared in 40 patients (30 men, 10 women; mean age, 55 +/- 9 years) in a total of 44 ICA occlusions of which 43 had a suitable ipsilateral temporal bone window for TCD examination. RESULTS: By TCD, a patent anterior communicating artery is indicated by a reversal blood flow in the A1-segment of the anterior cerebral artery or by a prompt fall of blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery after compression of the nonoccluded contralateral carotid artery. In 42 of 43 instances of ICA occlusion, TCD and angiography agreed in the evaluation of a present or absent anterior communicating artery collateral supply. TCD's sensitivity was 95%, its specificity 100%. A collateral supply through the basilar artery was assumed with TCD when there was: (a) a basilar artery blood velocity of more than 70 cm/s; (b) a marked increase of basilar artery blood velocity after compression of the nonoccluded carotid artery; (c) an evident side-to-side asymmetry of the blood velocity of the posterior cerebral arteries with high blood velocity ipsilateral to the ICA occlusion. For evaluating the collateralization via the basilar artery, TCD and angiography agreed in 37 of 40 ICA occlusions. TCD's sensitivity was 87%, its specificity 95%. CONCLUSIONS: TCD is a reliable tool for the evaluation of the collateral supply in patients with ICA occlusions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lipid profile of healthy adult Nigerians in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidaemia is a major cardiovascular risk factor for coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension and stroke. It is thought that serum cholesterol levels are low in Nigerians as shown by results of a population survey done over twenty years ago. In addition the last national non communicable disease survey recorded a low prevalence of Hyperlipidaemia (4.0%) in Nigeria. With increasing urbanisation and socioeconomic improvement, changing population dynamics is expected to influence disease pattern and noncommunicable diseases are expected to rise. Thus there is a need to screen healthy adults for their lipid pattern in Port Harcourt a city with high population dynamics where such studies have not been previously reported. METHOD: A prospective descriptive population survey was carried out among healthy adults residing in Port Harcourt. A total of ninety two adults were screened after obtaining informed consent. Weight, height, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and fasting lipid profile were measured. Results were analysed using simple statistical methods. RESULTS: A total of ninety two subjects were recruited into the study. Fourty seven (51.1%) of the subjects were males while fourty five (48.9%) were females. The age range of subjects was 24-59 years with mean of 38.84 +/- 8.36 years. The mean BMI was 28.76 +/- 5.91 Kg/m2. There was no significant statistical difference between the mean BMI for males and females. The mean fasting blood sugar, mean total cholesterol and mean LDL cholesterol were 4.45 +/- 0.89 mmol/L, 4.76 +/- 1.06 mmol/L and 3.65 +/- 0.89 mmol/L. The mean total triglyceride was 1.02 +/- 0.30 mmol/L while the mean HDL was 0.90 +/- 0.25 mmol/L. There was an increase in total cholesterol with increasing age and an increase in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol with increasing social class. Subjects with total cholesterol above 6.5 mmol/L constituted 31.52% of study subjects. Subjects with BMI between 25-29 Kg/m2 made up 43.48% of subjects while 33.69% of subjects had BMI above 30 Kg/m2. CONCLUSION: A high mean total and LDL cholesterol values were observed among healthy adults in Port Harcourt. The prevalence of obesity was also found to be high. There is a need for public health action to address these findings especially as high serum cholesterol levels have a direct correlation with coronary artery disease. Further large scale urban survey of non communicable diseases in the country is therefore necessary at this time.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The palliative care clinical evaluation exercise (CEX): an experience-based intervention for teaching end-of-life communication skills.

PURPOSE: To pilot test the "Palliative Care Clinical Evaluation Exercise (CEX)," a new experience-based intervention to teach communication skills in giving bad news and discussing code status. The intervention allows faculty to observe, evaluate, and give feedback to housestaff in their discussions with patients and families. METHOD: In 2002-03, the intervention was piloted among 60 first-year residents in the categorical Internal Medicine Residency Programs at the University of Pittsburgh. The authors collected feasibility measurements at the time of intervention, and interns' attitudes were measured before and one week after intervention and at the end of the intern year. RESULTS: Forty-four residents (73%) completed the intervention. Discussions averaged a total of 49.5 minutes (SD 24.1), divided among 12.7 minutes (SD 7.5) for prediscussion counseling between the resident and faculty observer, 25.6 minutes (SD 16.1) for the resident-patient discussion, and 12.1 minutes (SD 5.7) for postdiscussion feedback. Residents rated the Palliative Care CEX favorably (>3 on a five-point scale) on ease of arranging the exercise, educational value, quality of the experience, effect on their comfort with discussions, importance to their education, and value of preceptor feedback. Self-ratings of communication competence showed improvement one week after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The Palliative Care CEX is feasible and positively valued by residents. The findings from this initial pilot study support the value of further efforts to refine the intervention, to confirm its feasibility in other settings, and to validate its use as an educational and assessment tool.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

How one British National Health Service Trust follows the path to continuous quality improvement.

Most hospitals in the United Kingdom are not convinced that total quality management (TQM) is a feasible or appropriate method for dealing with National Health Service (NHS) problems. However, continuous quality improvement (CQI), with its emphasis on quality outcomes, is being adopted with great enthusiasm at most NHS sites. This article describes how Brighton Health Care NHS Trust in the south of England follows the CQI path and discusses some of its achievements and the problems encountered along the way.

Communication↗
PubMed2005

Effects of snoezelen, integrated in 24 h dementia care, on nurse-patient communication during morning care.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of snoezelen, integrated in 24-hour care, on the communication of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and demented nursing home residents during morning care. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was conducted, comparing sic psychogeriatric wards, that implemented snoezelen, to six control wards, that continued in giving usual care. Measurements were performed at baseline and 18 months after a training 'snoezelen for caregivers'. Independent assessors analysed 250 video-recordings directly from the computer, using an adapted version of the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) and non-verbal measurements. RESULTS: Trained CNAs showed a significant increase of resident-directed gaze, affective touch and smiling. The total number of verbal utterances also increased (more social conversation, agreement, talking about sensory stimuli, information and autonomy). Regarding residents, a significant treatment effect was found for smiling, CNA-directed gaze, negative verbal behaviours (less disapproval and anger) and verbal expressed autonomy. CONCLUSION: The implementation of snoezelen improved the actual communication during morning care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Teaching CNAs to provide snoezelen has added value for the quality of care. Morning care by trained CNAs appeared to take more time. This suggests that (some) time investment might be required to achieve positive effects on CNA- resident communication.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of single base substitutions in total genomic DNA.

Certain single base substitutions causing genetic diseases or resulting in polymorphisms linked to mutant alleles, alter a restriction enzyme cleavage site and can therefore be detected in total genomic DNA using DNA blots. Many base substitutions do not lead to an altered restriction site, but these can be detected using synthetic oligonucleotides as hybridization probes if the DNA sequence surrounding the base substitution is known. In the case of beta-thalassaemia, where 22 different single base mutations have been identified, a large number of probes would be required for diagnosis. An approach which was used to detect mutations in viral DNA involves the S1 nuclease treatment of heteroduplexes formed between wild-type and mutant DNA. Although certain single base mismatches are cleaved by S1 nuclease (ref. 11 and T. Shenk, personal communication), many other mismatches examined by this procedure are not cleaved (B. Seed, personal communication; R.M.M., unpublished data). Heteroduplexes between mutant and wild-type subgenomic fragments of double-stranded reovirus RNA migrate slower than the corresponding homoduplexes in polyacrylamide gels containing 7 M urea, but it is not known whether this method is applicable to DNA heteroduplexes containing single base mismatches. Here we describe a procedure that involves the electrophoretic separation of DNA heteroduplexes in a well-characterized gel system. We show that four different human beta-thalassaemia alleles with known single base mutations can be detected with as little as 5 micrograms of total genomic DNA. The method should be useful in the localization and diagnosis of mutations associated with genetic diseases.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Partner condom use among adolescent girls with sexually transmitted diseases.

PURPOSE: To explore associations of self-reported condom use with sexual risk knowledge and behaviors, perceptions of peer condom use, and communication with sexual partners about condom use among adolescent girls with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). METHODS: Adolescent girls with cervicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) completed a 62-item self-administered questionnaire on sexual risk knowledge and behaviors, condom use, perceptions of peer condom use, and condom use negotiation with partners. Associations with frequency of condom use and condom use at last sexual intercourse were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 24 girls were enrolled: 13 with cervicitis and 11 with PID; 22 had complete data for analysis. Compared with girls who reported low frequency of condom use, girls who reported condom use all or most of the time were younger (16.7 vs. 19.5 years; p = .008), were less likely to have a prior history of STD (67% vs. 0%; p = .03), and were more likely to think that all or most of their friends use condoms (72% vs. 0%; p = .02). Compared with girls who had not used a condom with last sexual intercourse, girls who had used a condom were younger (16.2 vs. 17.9 years; p = .04), had fewer lifetime partners (2.7 vs. 8.4; p = .03) and had higher mean scores in condom use negotiation (29.1 vs. 24.4; p = .02), and were more likely to think that all or most of their friends used condoms (100% vs. 31%; p = .001). Knowledge about condoms and STD prevention was high (mean 14.3 +/- 2.3 of 16) but was not associated with condom use. CONCLUSIONS: STD interventions for partner condom use among high-risk adolescent girls must recognize the decrease in condom use with increasing age and focus on maintaining safer sex behaviors, building condom use negotiation skills, and promoting the perception of condom use by friends.

Adolescent↗