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Evaluation of a targeted AIDS prevention intervention to increase condom use among prostitutes in Ghana.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the short- and long-term impact of a 6-month pilot intervention program on condom use among prostitutes in Accra, Ghana. DESIGN: The 4-year prospective study follows-up cohorts enrolled in the intervention in 1987 and 1988, comparing condom use in 1991 with that among a comparison group not enrolled in the intervention. SETTING: The community-based intervention was initiated in Accra, Ghana in 1987. PARTICIPANTS: Self-identified female prostitutes who volunteered participation. INTERVENTION: The educational intervention used local health workers to train and support selected prostitutes to be health educators and condom distributors to their peers. OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported condom use with clients. RESULTS: Reported condom use increased dramatically between 1987 and 1988 during the first 6 months of the intervention. In 1991, after 3 years of program relapse, 107 (43%) of the 248 women who had enrolled in 1987 or 1988 were still in prostitution and located for interview. Their level of condom use in 1991 was higher than pre-enrollment but similar to use among prostitutes never enrolled. Sixty-four per cent of those followed-up reported always using condoms with clients in 1991. These 'always users' were more likely to have maintained informal contact with project staff, know that HIV can be transmitted by healthy clients, and report that clients frequently initiate condom use. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the development of long-range educational strategies that recognize the career longevity of prostitutes, available channels for informal program diffusion, individual changes in condom use over time, and the role of clients in condom negotiation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Predictors of repeat pregnancy outcome among black and Puerto Rican adolescent mothers.

This prospective study investigated predictors of repeat pregnancies by 12 months after the delivery of a first child and their outcomes in inner-city adolescent mothers. The sample included four groups: those who had therapeutic abortions, miscarriages, full-term deliveries, and no repeat pregnancy. The therapeutic abortion group had more pregnancies before their first delivery (41%) than did full term (20%) and no repeat (15%), p less than .01. More delayed grade placement was found in therapeutic abortion -1.6 years (1.3) and full term -1.8 years (.9) than in no repeat pregnancy -.6 years (1.1), p less .001. Reading achievement scores were higher in no repeat 86.3 (17.1) than in full term 75.0 (16.5), p less than .05. School attendance was higher in no repeat (65%) than in therapeutic abortion (35%) and full-term (24%) p less than .01 groups. Depressive symptoms at baseline were higher among therapeutic aborters 18.9 (9.9) than among full term 10.2 (8.2) and no repeat pregnancy groups 12.2 (6.2). Logistic regression analyses identified delayed grade placement as the most important predictor of pregnancy outcome.

Achievement↗

Condom use among patients attending six sexually transmitted disease clinics in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Persons treated for a sexually transmitted disease have been shown to be at increased risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection. Levels of condom use among these patients are presented, and sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with self-reported never use of condoms are analyzed. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of 2,257 patients treated at six sexually transmitted disease clinics in Switzerland between July 1990 and December 1992. RESULTS: Overall, 46.3% of the patients reported that they had never used condoms. Among heterosexual men, this level was 48.3% (n = 1,751), among homosexual and bisexual men it was 21.6% (n = 268), and among heterosexual women it was 60.1% (n = 238). In a logistic multivariate regression analysis, factors significantly associated with never use of condoms among heterosexual men included age over 29 years, not of Swiss origin, low level of education, few partners in the previous 6 months, contraction of the sexually transmitted disease from a stable partner, and not being an injecting drug user. CONCLUSION: These results document the high levels of condoms never being used in this population and highlight the importance of condom promotion activities provided by sexually transmitted disease clinics.

Adolescent↗

A contrast of mothering behaviors in women from Korea and the United States.

In both the United States and Korea, culture heavily influences a mother's behavior toward her infant. Differences between these two cultures are explored, based on the author's experiences and work in both environments. This comparison includes a number of points of departure. The American culture encourages autonomous and independent behaviors from infants, whereas in the Korean culture, mothers tend to view infants as passive and dependent. American mothering is individually fashioned and relies on the expertise of health care providers. Conversely, the Korean culture is highly ritualistic, so mothering is molded more by societal rules than by individual design, and professional advice is less sought for guidance than is folklore information. American mothers tend to rear their infants in a nuclear family setting, whereas Korean mothers rear their infants in an extended family or at least in a highly social environment. Implications for American nurses who provide perinatal care for Korean immigrant women are discussed.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗

Determinants of sexual habits in Italian females.

OBJECTIVE: To identify characteristics of women reporting multiple sexual partners and early age at first intercourse in Italy. METHOD: Information on 1139 control women (median age 54 years) interviewed as part of a case-control study of cervical neoplasia conducted in the greater Milan area, Northern Italy were analysed using stratified analysis and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 81% of the study sample reported no more than one sexual partner, 10% two and 9% three or more. The proportion reporting multiple sexual partners tended to be higher among younger and more educated women (4% vs 19% of women with respectively less than 7 and 12 or more years of education reported three or more partners). Ever smokers reported a higher number of sexual partners than never smokers. The proportion of nulliparae reporting three or more sexual partners was higher than that of parous women. These findings were confirmed after taking into account in a multivariate analysis the role of potential confounding factors. Furthermore similar findings emerged from an analysis restricted to women aged 40 years or less. Always considering number of sexual partners, no relationship emerged with marital status, spontaneous or induced abortions, lifetime number of reported Pap smears and contraceptive habits. With reference to age at first intercourse, 25% of the study population reported their first intercourse at age 18 or before, 34% between 19 and 22 years, and 41% at age 23 or later. Younger women (that is, more recent cohorts) more frequently reported earlier age at first intercourse and the proportion of never married women reporting early intercourse was higher (51% vs 22% of never married vs married women). No relationship emerged between education, smoking habits, parity, history of spontaneous or induced abortions, number of Pap smears, contraceptive habits, and age at first intercourse. CONCLUSION: This study documents conservative sexual habits in Northern Italian females (at least on the basis of self reporting) but indicates that any educational compaigns towards safe sex should be focused towards younger women, particularly smokers, unmarried and nulliparae.

Abortion, Induced↗

Barriers to condom use among women attending planned parenthood clinics.

Assessed condom use, barriers to condom use, oral contraceptive use, partnership status and STD history in 457 15-30 year-old women attending four family planning clinics. Subjects were classified into three condom use groups: Non Users (37%); Current Users (33%); and Past Users (30%). Factor analysis revealed five barriers to condom use: Partner's Perception, Peer's Perception, Pleasure/Intimacy, Communication, and Low Perceived Need. Multivariate analyses revealed significant group differences on only two barrier factors: Pleasure/Intimacy and Low Perceived Need. Low Perceived Need accounted for 13.5% of the variance in condom use. Women with low perceived need to use condoms were more likely to use oral contraceptives.

Adolescent↗

Determinants of intentions of Junior High School students to become sexually active and use condoms: implications for reduction and prevention of AIDS risk.

The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with young adolescents' increased risk for AIDS. A multiethnic sample of 303 seventh-grade students in three schools in the greater New York area completed questionnaires assessing their basic demographic characteristics (gender and ethnicity), AIDS knowledge, substance use (cigarette smoking, alcohol use), and decision-making skills. AIDS knowledge, substance use, decision-making skills, gender, and ethnicity predicted intentions to engage in sexual behavior in the future. Relevant knowledge of AIDS was associated with lower intentions to engage in sexual behavior in the future. More frequent substance use, less frequent use of decision-making skills, and being male increased intentions to engage in sexual behavior in the future. Our findings are discussed in terms of their implications for education and prevention of adolescent sexual activity and AIDS-risk reduction.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

A study of the cognitive aspects of sexual decision making in adolescent females.

A comprehensive sexuality questionnaire was administered to 37 females, ages 13 through 16 years, who attended clinics for routine health care. Subjects completed standardized scales of self-concept, locus of control, and future orientation. They also were given a short battery of standardized cognitive tests. Three groups were identified: Group 1 was sexually active and using contraception reliably, Group 2 was not using contraception reliably, and Group 3 had not been sexually active. Group 1 adolescents had higher scores on the vocabulary subtest of the WISC-R (F = 3.4, p less than .05) than did Group 2 adolescents, over and above the effect of socioeconomic status (SES). Group 1 subjects had higher scores on knowledge of sex and contraception than did Group 2 (F = 3.3, p less than .05). Group 1 had more internal locus of control (F = 7.0, p less than .005) than did Group 2 over and above the effect of SES. Mean scores for Group 3 adolescents were intermediate and not significantly different. The findings suggest that cognitive factors may influence contraceptive behavior in adolescent females.

Adolescent↗

Women's status and fertility: successive cross-sectional evidence from Tamil Nadu, India, 1970-80.

This study explores linkages between the status of women and fertility over time in Tamil Nadu, India, using sample survey data for currently married women aged 35-44 in 1970 and 1980. The effects of individual indicators of the status of women on fertility are decomposed into effects through each of the proximate variables, notably those affecting marriage duration, marital fertility, and contraception. There is considerable variation in the direction and magnitude of the relationships between the status indicators and fertility behavior and in the relationship to the underlying mechanisms at the two points in time. On balance, the evidence suggests improvements in the status of women come to exert an increasingly negative effect on fertility over the course of demographic transition.

Adult↗

Alcohol use as a situational influence on young women's pregnancy risk-taking behaviors.

Recent studies have found that many young women just beginning their sexual lives use alcohol prior to intercourse. A large number appear to drink heavily enough prior to sex to compromise their ability to use contraceptives. The question emerges whether there is a relationship between drinking before intercourse, the nonuse of birth control methods, and unplanned pregnancies. The present research describes 43 instances of intercourse which resulted in unplanned pregnancies in 14- to 21-year-olds. Variables examined included alcohol use prior to sex, amount of alcohol consumed, the use of other drugs, the planning of intercourse, respondents' stated reasons for nonuse of contraceptives, and other general demographic data.

Adolescent↗

The determinants of sexuality among adolescent school girls in Kenya.

One thousand seven hundred and fifty one Secondary school girls aged 12 to 19 years were interviewed by means of a self-administered questionnaire. 416 (23.8%), of them reported to have been sexually experienced at the time of the study. 4.1% of the sexually experienced girls had started sex below the age of 10 years, some of whom had been raped. The low and middle class private schools in the city centre had higher incidence of sexually experienced girls. The same was observed in those girls staying away from their parents. Majority of the sexually experienced girls had started coitus within one to two years of attaining menarche or having a boyfriend. Some of these girls may have been forced to indulge in sex by the men/boys or circumstances. Lack of factual knowledge, parental guidance and lust for material gains are some of the factors the girls felt may be responsible for the upsurge in adolescent sexual behaviour. The role played by these factors in adolescent sexuality is discussed, and possible remedial measures are suggested.

Adolescent↗

Teenage pregnancy in the United States.

One out of every 10 women aged 15-19 becomes pregnant each year in the United States. Of these pregnancies, five out of every six are unintended--92 percent of those conceived premaritally, and half of those conceived in marriage. The teenage pregnancy rate is high because only a minority (one in three) of sexually active young women always use contraceptives, and only one in two of these women rely on the most effective methods. The two most common reasons given by adolescents for not using contraceptives are believing that the risk of pregnancy is small, and failing to anticipate intercourse. Experience in other developed countries clearly shows that the incidence of adolescent pregnancy can be reduced if effective contraceptives are made widely available. Although high quality sex education programs that include information about contraception, reproductive biology and responsible sexual behavior can enhance the effectiveness of contraceptive delivery systems, they are not a substitute for the actual provision of services and supplies. However, there is formidable political opposition to the provision of such services by a vocal minority who believe that the crux of the problem is premarital sexual activity, and that lowering the cost of such behavior by reducing the risk of pregnancy will both legitimize adolescent sex and increase its prevalence. Consequently, there is a political impasse that guarantees a continuing large number of adolescent pregnancies. Further, even if contraceptives and sex education were readily available to all adolescents, there would still be a pool of teenagers who would see little benefit in postponing parenthood. This pool would be composed overwhelmingly of the poor and of blacks and Hispanics. Increasing the demand for pregnancy prevention among young women and men in this hard-core, high-risk group will be extremely hard to achieve without a fundamental restructuring of society.

Adolescent↗

Parents' behavioral norms as predictors of adolescent sexual activity and contraceptive use.

The influence of parental factors on adolescent sexual behavior and contraceptive use has been examined previously, and findings have been contradictory. Previous studies, which found little relationship between parental norms and adolescent sexual activity, have been limited by their failure to recognize developmental differences in the relative weight of parent and peer influences between younger and older teens and by use of selected samples, resulting in a restriction of range. The current study differs in that it utilizes a clustered sample household survey of 329 males and females, aged 14 to 17, and 470 of their parents. Using multiple regression analysis, it was found that parents' reported behavioral norms account for 5% of the variance in whether adolescents have had intercourse, and for 33% of the variance in use of contraception at last intercourse. The study suggests that while parents' normative beliefs have limited effect in the decision to become sexually active, they have considerable impact on later contraceptive use.

Adolescent↗

The relational determinants of condom use with commercial sex partners in Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the extent and determinants of condom use with commercial sex partners among lower socioeconomic status groups in the Thai population. DESIGN: Respondents were sampled in Udon Thani, Saraburi and Bangkok in 1992. Completed sample size was 678 women in brothels, 330 male truck drivers and 1,075 men aged 17-45 years. Behavioral data and local sexual network information were collected using structured questionnaires (face-to-face interviews), focus groups and in-depth unstructured interviews. METHODS: Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Condom use with commercial partners remains inconsistent. Consistent use was reported by 61% of women in brothels, 25% of truck drivers, and 29% of men in the low-income population. The single strongest predictor of consistent condom use for all groups is type of partnership. Consistent use drops significantly with regular (multivisit) commercial sex partners compared with casual (single visit) commercial partners; adjusted odds of consistent use are 0.22 for women and 0.25 for men. Brothel women report that one in five of their commercial partners is a 'regular', and 20% of the young men who report a commercial partner report a 'regular'. DISCUSSION: The strongest determinant of consistent condom use is the nature of the relational bond between the partners, rather than their individual characteristics, knowledge or attitudes. To raise condom use further, programs will have to move beyond the standard knowledge-attitudes-practices paradigm focus on individual attributes to address the contextual determinants of behavior.

Adolescent↗

HIV-infected women and sexual risk reduction: the relevance of existing models of behavior change.

This article utilizes constructs of the AIDS Risk Reduction Model (ARRM) to examine condom use in a sample of 215 HIV-infected women in New Jersey. We find evidence that processes affecting condom use in HIV-infected individuals are similar to those found in HIV-negative individuals. Results suggest that partner-related factors are important to consistent condom use in HIV-infected women. Women are more likely to use condoms consistently if they have high perceived power to influence their partner's condom use, have partners who are HIV seronegative, and have partners who do not want more children. Conflicts with the partner decrease the probability of consistent condom use. Also negatively associated with condom use are the woman's use of drugs and/or alcohol and her belief that condoms reduce sexual enjoyment. Implications of these findings for designing interventions for HIV-infected women are considered.

Adult↗