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PubMed2004

Attraction to male pheromones and sexual behaviour show different regulatory mechanisms in female mice.

In rodents, female sexual behaviour is under hormonal control. The attraction females show for male-derived nonvolatile chemicals (pheromones) can be regarded as the first step of this behaviour, but it is unknown whether this attraction is also modulated by sexual steroids. To test this possibility, ovariectomized adult female mice with no experience of chemical signals from adult males were randomly assigned to four groups that received oil (control), progesterone, estradiol (E) or estradiol+progesterone (E+P) injections, respectively. Females were then tested for their attraction to male-soiled bedding and, subsequently, for their proceptive behaviour when confronted to adult males. Females showed attraction to male-soiled bedding irrespective of the hormonal treatment, whereas only those females treated with E or E+P showed proceptive behaviour. Therefore, in contrast to proceptive and copulatory behaviour, the female attraction to male pheromones is independent of sexual steroids, thus indicating that those parts of the vomeronasal system involved in this attraction do not respond to steroids. In summary, sexual behaviour in female mice can be seen as a two-step process. First, females are attracted by male pheromones, a process which is independent of their hormonal status. After encountering the males, females show proceptive behaviour only in estrous, when fertilization is more likely. The attraction exerted by male sexual pheromones promotes female autostimulation that might ensure anticipatory endocrine changes leading to ovulation by the time of sexual intercourse.

Aging↗
PubMed2005

Sedentary behaviour, physical activity and weight problems in adolescents in Wales.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the prevalence and stability of overweight and obesity in a cohort of adolescents, and the effects of sedentary behaviour and physical activity on changes in body mass. The study also examined the extent to which physical activity mediated the relationship between sedentary behaviour and body mass. DESIGN: Four-year cohort study. METHODS: The study was part of the Health Behaviour of School-aged Children Study that took place in Wales between 1994 and 1998. Body height and weight measurements and self-report data on sedentary behaviour, physical activity and psychosocial adjustment were collected from 355 adolescents on two occasions 4 years apart. The mean age of the sample at baseline was 12.30 (SD=6.30) years. RESULTS: Weight conditions (underweight, overweight and obesity) and body mass were moderately stable over the interval. Regression analyses showed that sedentary behaviour at Time 1 predicted body mass at Time 2, while physical activity predicted a change in body mass over time. The influence of sedentary behaviour on body mass was not found to be mediated by physical activity. However, weight problems in Year 7 coincided with getting bullied, bullying others, and feeling left out of things. Obesity was also related to snacking and skipping breakfast. CONCLUSIONS: Sedentary behaviour and physical activity in early adolescence both influenced body mass in late adolescence. Results indicated that promoting healthy diets and physical activities may have long-term health benefits for young people.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Suicide behaviour over 18 months in recent onset schizophrenic patients: the effects of CBT.

The results of a trial of cognitive behaviour therapy, supportive counselling and treatment as usual in recent onset schizophrenia on suicide behaviour are reported. Treatment was delivered over a five week period during hospitalisation for an acute episode. Participants were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 and 18 months. Over the 18 months there were 3 definite suicides and 2 deaths by accidental causes. The rates of moderate to severe suicidal behaviour were 13% at admission, 4% at six weeks, 1.5% at three months and 6% at 18 months. There were no beneficial or adverse effects of psychological treatment on suicide behaviour that reduced significantly with clinical recovery. There is a general picture of those who suffer persistently higher levels of psychotic symptoms, poorer functioning, depression and low self-esteem have higher severity of suicide behaviour, although the numbers with clinically significant suicide behaviour are low. CBT may need to be modified to directly target suicide behaviour and its antecedents to significantly reduce risk; recommendations on this are made.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Coding patient-centred behaviour in the medical encounter.

A patient-centred approach is increasingly advocated and incorporated in medical education. Due to its multi-dimensionality, however, the concept of patient-centredness appears to be hard to measure and, consequently, to evaluate. The objective of this study was to develop an instrument to measure patient-centredness in line with one central dimension, i.e. physicians' explorative communication skills: the tendency to encourage (or discourage) patients to express their perspective on illness and treatment, by displaying facilitating and inhibiting behaviours. The paper describes the development of the patient-centred behaviour coding instrument (PBCI), and first results of validity and reliability of the instrument. The study was conducted in the outpatient division of an academic teaching hospital in The Netherlands, where follow-up encounters were videotaped and coded. Participants were 30 residents and specialists in general internal medicine, rheumatology and gastro-enterology, and 323 patients having a (video-taped) follow-up appointment with one of these physicians. All recorded consultations were coded using the PBCI. Statistical analyses verified the existence of two dimensions of the PBCI: facilitating and inhibiting behaviours. Interestingly, open and closed questions generally appeared to be indicative of both the facilitating and the inhibiting dimension; only open and closed questions with a psycho-social content were unambiguously classified as facilitating behaviours. Reliability of the facilitating behaviours was high, while reliability of the inhibiting behaviours was moderate. Besides infrequent observations of the inhibiting behaviours, low reliability was partly due to individual inter-rater variability. A global rating of patient-centredness appeared to correlate with the two dimensions in the expected direction: positively with the facilitating and negatively with the inhibiting dimension, indicating the convergent validity of the instrument.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2005

Alcohol use and sexual behaviour among risky drinkers and bar and shebeen patrons in Gauteng province, South Africa.

This paper describes the South Africa component of a World Health Organization multi-site rapid assessment and response project seeking to develop a methodology for studying factors associated with alcohol use-related sexual risk behaviour in diverse cultural settings. This report focuses on the qualitative assessments that were conducted in order to profile alcohol use and sexual behaviour in the communities concerned, ascertain the relationships between alcohol use and sexual behaviour, and develop a conceptual model of the relationships between alcohol use and sexual risk behaviour. The participants consisted of adults aged between 25 and 44 years in a township and city site in Gauteng province. The assessments involved conducting 18 key informant interviews, observations in seven drinking venues, six focus groups and 16 in-depth interviews of 'risky drinkers' and their partners. Most participants felt that there were high levels of alcohol consumption and unprotected sex among some members of their communities, with the latter occurring mainly among casual sexual partners. The findings also pointed to strong links between alcohol consumption and sexual risk behaviour. A conceptual model of the association between alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour is proposed. This study suggests a need for multi-faceted HIV intervention strategies for reducing levels of alcohol abuse in general, and enhancing protective sexual behaviours among alcohol-using populations.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Dissecting complex behaviours in the post-genomic era.

Identifying gene functions in behaviours has so far relied mainly on achievements in the field of molecular genetics. Further progress can be made by developing new approaches that allow refinement of behavioural phenotypes. The current availability of several thousand different mutant mice challenges behavioural neuroscientists to extend their views and methodologies, to dissect complex behaviours into behavioural phenotypes, and subsequently to define gene-behavioural phenotype relationships. Here, we plead for multi-day automated behavioural observations in carefully designed environments.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Beliefs and behaviours: understanding chiropractors and immunization.

BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about the beliefs and behaviours of chiropractors related to immunization; however, none have systematically examined the relationships between beliefs and behaviours. PURPOSE: We examine the immunization-related behaviours and beliefs of chiropractors in Alberta, Canada, and explore the relationship of beliefs to immunization-related behaviours with patients. METHODS: Data were collected in 2002 from a postal survey of Alberta chiropractors. The questionnaire inquired about six behaviours of interest in the six months prior to survey (gave information about risks/benefits of vaccination; advised patients in favour/against have self/children immunized; counselled on freedom of choice; directed to sources of information on immunization). It included items addressing beliefs and norms related to immunization. RESULTS: The response rate was 78.2% (503/643). Immunization arose with patients at least monthly for 36.5% of respondents, and at least weekly for 9.2%. One quarter advised patients in favour and 27% against having themselves/their children immunized. A parsimonious model of chiropractor pro/anti-vaccination behaviours included beliefs about the efficacy/safety of vaccination, chiropractic philosophy and individual rights. CONCLUSIONS: Similar proportions of chiropractors advise patients in favour or against immunization. A small minority deals with immunization issues frequently. Behaviours can be understood in the context of beliefs.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1999

Psychopathological correlates of self-reported behavioural inhibition in normal children.

The present study examined the relationship between self-reported behavioural inhibition and psychopathological symptoms in a sample of 152 children aged 12-14 years. Children were provided with a definition of behavioural inhibition and then asked to classify themselves as low, middle or high on behavioural inhibition. Furthermore, children completed questionnaires of worry, depression and anxiety symptoms. Results showed that children who endorsed the high behavioural inhibition category had elevated levels of anxiety, worry and depression compared to children who endorsed the low or middle behavioural inhibition categories. Moreover, children high on behavioural inhibition more frequently reported anxiety disorders symptoms in the subclinical range. These findings fit well with those of previous studies on behavioural inhibition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

A robust animal model of state anxiety: fear-potentiated behaviour in the elevated plus-maze.

Fear (i.e., decreased percentage time spent on open-arm exploration) in the elevated plus-maze can be potentiated by prior inescapable stressor exposure, but not by escapable stress. The use of fear-potentiated plus-maze behaviour has several advantages as compared to more traditional animal models of anxiety. (a) In contrast to the traditional (spontaneous) elevated plus-maze, which measures innate fear of open spaces, fear-potentiated plus-maze behaviour reflects an enhanced anxiety state (allostatic state). This "state anxiety" can be defined as an unpleasant emotional arousal in face of threatening demands or dangers. A cognitive appraisal of threat is a prerequisite for the experience of this type of emotion. (b) Depending on the stressor used (e.g., fear of shock, predator odour, swim stress, restraint, social defeat, predator stress (cat)), this enhanced anxiety state can last from 90 min to 3 weeks. Stress effects are more severe when rats are isolated in comparison to group housing. (c) Drugs can be administered in the absence of the original stressor and after stressor exposure. As a consequence, retrieval mechanisms are not affected by drug treatment. (d) Fear-potentiated plus-maze behaviour is sensitive to proven/putative anxiolytics and anxiogenics which act via mechanisms related to the benzodiazepine-gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor, but it is also sensitive to corticotropin-releasing receptor antagonists and glucocorticoid receptor antagonists and serotonin receptor agonists/antagonists complex (high predictive validity). (e) Fear-potentiated plus-maze behaviour is very robust, and experiments can easily be replicated in other labs. (f) Fear-potentiated plus-maze behaviour can be measured both in males and females. (g) Neural mechanisms involved in contextual fear conditioning, fear potentiation and state anxiety can be studied.Thus, fear-potentiated plus-maze behaviour may be a valuable measure in the understanding of neural mechanisms involved in the development of anxiety disorders and in the search for novel anxiolytics. Finally, the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor and corticosteroid-corticotropin-releasing factor interactions in the production of fear-potentiated plus-maze behaviour are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Modulatory effect of p-chlorophenylalanine microinjected into the dorsal and median raphe nuclei on cocaine-induced behaviour in the rat.

The present study examined whether a potentiation of cocaine-induced behaviour in rats following peripheral pretreatment with the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) biosynthesis inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine may be due to depletion of 5-HT in the dorsal raphe nucleus and/or median raphe nucleus. Following peripheral pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine (100 mg/kg, i.p.) for 3 consecutive days, a potentiation of cocaine-induced locomotor activity and rears was observed. To investigate a possible involvement of serotonergic neurones arising in the midbrain raphe nuclei in the observed potentiation, p-chlorophenylalanine (0.5 microg) was microinjected in either the dorsal raphe nucleus or median raphe nucleus followed by behavioural testing 48 h later. Application of p-chlorophenylalanine in the dorsal raphe nucleus resulted in an enhancement of cocaine-induced locomotor activity and head bobs. In contrast, the stimulant effect of cocaine on behaviour was not altered by microinjection of p-chlorophenylalanine in the median raphe nucleus. Peripheral and central administration of p-chlorophenylalanine did not consistently alter the baseline behaviour of saline-treated animals. Biochemical results indicated only a moderate depletion of 5-HT in the midbrain raphe nuclei following peripheral p-chlorophenylalanine administration. Surprisingly, the central application of p-chlorophenylalanine in the dorsal raphe nucleus and median raphe nucleus did not alter the 5-HT levels in the midbrain raphe nucleus investigated. In addition, peripheral and central administration of p-chlorophenylalanine did not alter the 5-HT levels in the nucleus accumbens. In conclusion, the behavioural results suggest that the potentiation of cocaine-induced behaviour following peripheral p-chlorophenylalanine administration may be attributed to the dorsal raphe nucleus but not the median raphe nucleus suggesting that, serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus neurones may normally mediate a tonic inhibitory effect on cocaine-induced behaviour. Furthermore, the biochemical data may indicate the existence of neurochemical resistance of the midbrain raphe nuclei to the 5-HT depleting effects of p-chlorophenylalanine.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Behavioural assessment of functional recovery after spinal cord hemisection in the bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata).

In spinal cord research, current approaches to behavioural assessment often fail in defining the exact nature of motor deficits or in evaluating the return of motor behaviour from lost functions following spinal cord injury. In addition to the assessment of gross motor behaviour, it is often appropriate to use complex tests for locomotion to evaluate the masked deficits in the evaluation of functional recovery after spinal cord injury. We designed a series of sensitive quantitative tests for reflex responses and complex locomotor behaviour in the form of a combined behavioural score (CBS) to assess the recovery of function in the Bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata). Monkeys were tested for various motor/reflex components, trained to cross different complex runways, and to walk on a treadmill bipedally. The overall performance of animal's motor behaviour and the functional status of individual limb movement during bipedal locomotion was graded and scored by the CBS. Surgical hemisection was then performed on the right side of the spinal cord at the T12-L1 level. Spinal cord hemisected animals showed a significant alteration in certain reflex responses such as grasping, extension withdrawal, and placing reflexes, which persisted through 1 year of follow-up. The spinal cord hemisected animals traversed the complex locomotor runways (Narrow beam and Grid runway) with more steps and few errors, at similar levels to control animals. These observations indicate that the various motor/reflex components and bipedal locomotor behaviour of spinal cord hemisected monkeys return to control levels gradually. These results are similar to those obtained in rat models by other investigators. These results demonstrate that the basic motor strategy and the spinal pattern generator for locomotion (SPGL) in adult monkeys for the accomplishment of complex motor tasks is similar, but not identical, to that in adult rats. This suggests that the mechanisms underlying recovery are probably similar in rats and monkeys, but that primates may take a longer duration to achieve the same functional end point.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Topographical evaluation of behavioural phenotype in a line of mice with targeted gene deletion of the D2 dopamine receptor.

The phenotype of spontaneous and dopamine D2-like agonist-induced behaviour was assessed topographically in a line of mice with targeted gene deletion of the D1 receptor. An ethologically-based, rapid time-sampling behavioural check-list technique was used to resolve and quantify all behaviours in the natural repertoire of the mouse. Relative to wildtypes [D2+/+], D2-null [D2-/-] mice evidenced over a 1 h period of initial exploration modest but significant reductions in locomotion, grooming, rearing free and rearing to wall; rearing seated, sniffing, sifting and stillness were not altered. Individual elements of behaviour habituated similarly over a 6 h period for both genotypes. The dose-dependent induction of stereotyped sniffing and ponderous locomotion by the D2-like agonist RU 24213 (0.1-12.5 mg/kg) in wildtypes was essentially absent in D2-null mice. The ethogram of spontaneous behaviour in D2-null mice was characterised by only modest reductions in, and topographical shifts between, certain individual elements of behaviour. Essential abolition of D2-like agonist responsivity in D2-null mice vis-à-vis considerable preservation of spontaneous behavioural topography suggests compensatory processes subsequent to developmental absence of the D2 receptor that are able to sustain function under naturalistic, tonic conditions but not during phasic challenge.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Effects of systematic variation in presatiation and fasting on the behavioural satiety sequence in male rats.

Preclinical research on the neurobiology of appetite regulation is increasingly employing detailed behavioural assessment in addition to measures of food intake. One of the most widely used approaches examines treatment effects on the behavioural satiety sequence (BSS), a concept describing the predictable pattern of behavioural change (feeding-->grooming-->resting) associated with the process of satiation in rats, mice and other mammals. Surprisingly, however, comparatively little published detail is available concerning the impact of more natural appetite modulators on the BSS. In two separate experiments, a continuous monitoring technique was used to calibrate the effects of prefeeding (3, 6 and 9 min) and prior fasting (3, 6 and 12 h) on the microstructure of rat behaviour during a 1 h test with palatable mash. Prefeeding significantly increased eating latencies and reduced both food intake and total duration (but not frequency) of feeding behaviour. The reduction in time spent eating was most evident during the first 15 min of the test when feeding is normally at peak levels. Although behavioural structure was fully preserved in all test conditions, the two larger preloads resulted in shifts to the left (i.e., an acceleration) in the BSS. In contrast, fasting for 6 and 12 h (but not 3 h) increased food intake and duration (but not frequency) of feeding behaviour in the early part of the test. All fasting conditions (including 3 h) produced considerable shifts to the right (i.e., a delay) in the BSS, confirming the greater sensitivity of this measure relative to food intake per se. The potential utility of these reference profiles is discussed in relation to drug-induced changes in food intake and the BSS.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Prostaglandin F2alpha-induced nest-building in pseudopregnant pigs. I. Effects of environment on behaviour and cortisol secretion.

Pigs may be susceptible to stress when they are strongly motivated to nest-build in a space-restricted environment. This study aimed to explore whether nest-building behaviour could be induced by prostaglandin F2alpha (PG) administration to pseudopregnant gilts and to determine whether induced behaviour and cortisol output differed between animals chronically placed in either farrowing crates or pens. Jugular vein catheters were placed on Day 39 of pseudopregnancy and blood samples collected daily from Day 40 to Day 48. On Day 42, gilts were either restricted to farrowing crates 1.6 x 0.6 m with no straw (C: n = 11) or left in pens 2.8 x 1.74 m with straw (P: n = 11). On Day 47, blood and behaviour sampling was from 90 min pre-PG (Dinoprost; Lutalyse, Upjohn, Kalamazoo, MI) to 6 h post-PG. PG injection successfully induced nest-building behaviour in P gilts within 15 min of injection. Penned gilts engaged in more straw/floor-directed behaviour than C gilts (p < 0.01), whereas attempts in C gilts seemed partial or incomplete. Conversely, C gilts showed increased (p < 0.05) amounts of fixture-directed behaviour, whereas P gilts did not post-PG. For both groups, cortisol increased significantly (p < 0.05) post-PG compared to pre-PG values. Cortisol concentrations in C gilts were significantly greater than in P gilts prior to and after PG (p < 0.05) on Day 47, whereas there were no significant differences in concentrations of cortisol between C and P on other days. These results demonstrate that PG can induce nest-building behaviour in the absence of foetal signals. Whereas the pseudopregnant gilt seemed to chronically adapt to the imposition of a farrowing crate, gilts subsequently attempting to nest-build showed increases in cortisol output when compared to their penned counterparts, suggesting that a stress was imposed by the space-restricted environment.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Acoustically elicited behaviours in Lister hooded and Wistar rats.

It has been reported previously that experimenter-presented 20-kHz tones at low intensities produce bursts of locomotor running in Lister hooded rats, but reduced locomotion (freezing) in Wistar rats. Because rats emit 20-kHz tones when stressed, it was proposed that this ultrasound-elicited running and freezing behaviour in Lister hooded and Wistar rats, respectively, represents a model for qualitative strain differences in fear behaviour. The present studies examined the acoustic specificity of acoustically elicited locomotor behaviours in Lister hooded and Wistar rats. In Experiment 1, it was found that brief exposure (i.e., 15 s) of Lister hooded rats to tones at frequencies of 7, 12, or 20 kHz and intensities of 85-95 dB SPL, elicited running behaviour characterised by brief bursts of locomotion followed by periods of quiescence. Somewhat surprisingly, the 7- and 12-kHz tones elicited running behaviour at lower intensities than did the 20-kHz tones. In Experiment 2, it was found that exposure of Lister hooded rats to the 20-kHz acoustic stimulus (91-101 dB, SPL) for a much longer duration, up to 9 min, resulted in episodic bursts of locomotion and convulsions in a significant proportion of subjects. Both the maximal velocity of locomotion and the likelihood of occurrence of convulsions was related to the intensity of the acoustic stimulus. Exposure of Lister hooded rats to white noise for up to 9 min also elicited episodic bursts of locomotion and convulsions in an intensity-dependent manner. The white noise stimulus was found to be a more effective stimulus than the 20-kHz stimulus in this regard. In Experiment 3, it was found that Lister hooded rats exhibited reduced locomotion when they were exposed to a low-intensity 20-kHz acoustic stimulus (e.g., 81 dB, SPL). In Experiment 4, it was found that Wistar rats did not exhibit locomotor bursts or convulsions when presented with 20-kHz tones using stimulus parameters equal to and even greater than those that had been shown to be effective in producing locomotor bursts in Lister hooded rats. Rather, Wistar rats exhibited only reduced locomotion. The present data indicate that (1) running behaviour in Lister hooded rats is not specific for the 20-kHz stimulus. Moreover, (2) when compared to Lister hooded rats, Wistar rats are relatively insensitive to the running and convulsions elicited by acoustic stimuli. Finally, (3) both Lister hooded and Wistar rats exhibited reduced locomotion when presented with the 20-kHz tones, although the range of stimulus intensities that produces freezing behaviour is much more limited in Lister hooded rats because of their propensity to exhibit locomotor bursting and convulsions. Thus, it appears that the difference between the two strains with respect to their unconditioned locomotor responses to novel acoustic stimuli relates to the fact that Lister hooded rats are uniquely susceptible to acoustically elicited locomotor bursts and/or convulsions.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1999

Behavioural effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on laboratory rodents: statistical methodologies and an application concerning developmental PCB exposure.

Appropriate behavioural tests and adequate statistical tools may help to establish the ED properties of a given compound by pointing out the alterations of selected behavioural endpoints. Frequently, laboratory collected data consist of frequencies and/or durations of specific items, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique is performed to assess whether the investigated factors affect these behavioural endpoints. Moreover, when numerous aspects of behaviour are investigated simultaneously, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a multivariate technique, may be very useful to reduce the overwhelming number of correlated original variables to a few orthogonal artificial variables (factors). Continuous Time Markov Chain (CTMC) models may be applied to analyse the time structure of a behavioural pattern when data consist of sequences of events and the time points at which they occur. Moreover, the Cox Proportional Hazard Model, a methodology originally developed for the analysis of failure time data, may help to evidence the effects of a given treatment on behavioural sequences when the assumptions of CTMC models are not fully satisfied. Analyses on data from mice of the outbred CD-1 strain (controls in a study of toxicity and exposed to PCB during development) are presented as examples to show how adequate statistical analyses and appropriate behavioural tests may reveal relevant effect of treatments otherwise not easily detected.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

The serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor subtype does not mediate apomorphine-induced aggressive behaviour in male Wistar rats.

We have studied the effect of the 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonists on apomorphine-induced aggressive behaviour in male Wistar rats. In acute behavioural experiments with apomorphine-pretreated (1.0 mg/kg, s.c., once daily, 2 weeks) animals, risperidone (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg) inhibited aggressive behaviour, but ketanserin and ritanserin (0.5-5. 0 mg/kg) had no effect on the latency and intensity of aggressive behaviour. Concomitant risperidone (0.5 mg/kg) and haloperidol (0.03 and 0.3 mg/kg) administration blocked aggressive behaviour completely. In conclusion, our experiments confirm that inhibition of the apomorphine-induced aggressive behaviour is elicited by drugs with dopamine (DA) but not with 5-HT(2A) antagonistic activity. Moreover, it may be concluded that the serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor subtype does not alter the DA-mediated behaviour.

Aggression↗
PubMed1999

Audio-computer interviewing to measure risk behaviour for HIV among injecting drug users: a quasi-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess audio-computer-assisted self-interviewing (audio-CASI) as a method of reducing under-reporting of HIV risk behaviour among injecting drug users. METHODS: Injecting drug users were interviewed at syringe-exchange programmes in four US cities. Potential respondents were randomly selected from participants in the syringe exchanges, with weekly alternate assignment to either traditional face-to-face interviews or audio-CASI. The questionnaire included items on sociodemographic characteristics, drug use, and HIV risk behaviours for 30 days preceding the interview. We calculated odds ratios for the difference in reporting of HIV risk behaviours between interview methods. FINDINGS: 757 respondents were interviewed face-to-face, and 724 were interviewed by audio-CASI. More respondents reported HIV risk behaviours and other sensitive behaviours in audio-CASI than in face-to-face interviews (odds ratios for reporting of rented or bought used injection equipment in audio-CASI vs face-to-face interview 2.1 [95% CI 1.4-3.3] p=0.001; for injection with borrowed used injection equipment 1.5 [1.1-2.2] p=0.02; for renting or selling used equipment 2.3 [1.3-4.0] p=0.003). INTERPRETATION: Although validation of these self-reported behaviours was not possible, we propose that audio-CASI enables substantially more complete reporting of HIV risk behaviour. More complete reporting might increase understanding of the dynamics of HIV transmission and make the assessment of HIV-prevention efforts easier.

Adult↗