Dual-method use among an ethnically diverse group of women at risk of HIV infection

CONTEXT: Few U.S. women protect themselves against both pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) by using an efficient contraceptive method and a condom. Understanding the factors that influence dual-method use could help improve interventions aimed at encouraging protective behaviors. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 552 low-income women at risk of HIV who attended public health or economic assistance facilities in Miami in 1994 and 1995. Multinomial logit analyses were used to determine the influence of women's background characteristics, perceived vulnerability to pregnancy and AIDS, and relationship characteristics on the odds of dual-method use. RESULTS: Overall, 20% of the women used dual methods. Women who were not married, who worried about both pregnancy and AIDS, who had ever had an STD, who were confident they could refuse a sexual encounter in the absence of a condom and who made family planning decisions jointly with their partner were the most likely to use dual methods rather than a single method (odds ratios, 2.0-3.5); those who considered the condom only somewhat effective in preventing AIDS or who shared economic decision-making with their partner were the least likely to use dual methods rather than a single method (0.5-0.6). The results were generally similar in analyses examining the odds of dual-method use involving an efficient contraceptive, except that black and Hispanic women were significantly more likely than whites to use condoms in conjunction with efficient contraceptives (3.3-7.1). CONCLUSIONS: Both women's individual characteristics and the context of their sexual relationships influence whether they simultaneously protect themselves from pregnancy and HIV. The involvement of male partners in family planning decision-making and women's control over economic decision-making ensure greater protection against HIV infection.     

Factors associated with use of the female condom

A 58-year old lady, involved in a head-on motor vehicle crash suffered a severe intestinal injury associated with an intimal flap lesion of the distal abdominal aorta. Thrombotic occlusion of the aortic bifurcation with clinical evidence of lower extremity ischemia was noted. The management of blunt injury to the abdominal aorta is discussed with special regard to placing prosthetic material in a potentially infected field.     

Assessing children's conceptions of AIDS

Assessed intuitive theories of AIDS transmission through clinical method interviews in a cross-sectional design for a sample of 205 1st; 195 3rd; and 208 5th-grade students, balanced by sex and race (black/white). Analyses of relationships between the types of theories children held and their responses to closed-end questions about transmission and willingness to interact with a person with AIDS supported the validity of the interview method. Grade differences were noted for knowledge of high-risk routes, rejection of misconceptions, and cohesiveness and complexity of children's theories. Theories also differed by race and verbal abilities. Implications for most appropriate ways to assess children's understanding of illnesses and directions for future research are discussed.     

Effect of perinatal gonadal hormones on selected nonsexual behavior patterns: A critical assessment of the nonhuman and human literature.

Reviews the literature on the influence of perinatal gonadal hormones on adult nonsexual behavior patterns in rodents and primates. Perinatal androgens increase the display of adult aggressive behavior in rodents. No research on primates has investigated the effect of perinatal hormones on fighting per se. Instead, high energy expenditure, a trait associated with masculinity in monkeys, has been studied. Female monkeys treated with prenatal androgen exhibit patterns of energy expenditure similar to those of males. Human females exposed to prenatal androgen have been reported by their parents and themselves to show "tomboyish" behavior (i.e. high levels of energy expenditure in play). The effect of perinatal androgen on maternal behavior in rodents is less clear because both male and female rodents will show all aspects of maternal behavior when presented with newborn animals. Human females exposed to prenatal androgen excess have been reported by their parents and themselves to show low levels of maternalism. To explain why genetic females exposed to prenatal androgens were different from controls in regard to energy expenditure and maternalism, researchers have proposed that the behavior changes were a sequel to a masculinizing effect of androgen on the fetal brain. Alternative explanations to postnatal factors are proposed. The influence of perinatal androgen on IQ is also considered. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)