Abstract Purpose To examine the event-level association between alcohol consumption and the likelihood of unprotected sex among college-age young adults considering contextual factors of partner type ...and amount of alcohol consumed. Methods A 30-day, Web-based, structured daily diary was used to collect daily reports of sexual behaviors and alcohol use from 116 sexually active young adults, yielding 2,764 diary records. Each day we assessed the prior evening's behavior regarding alcohol consumption, opportunities for sex, sexual intercourse, condom use, and contextual factors including type of sexual partner. Results Based on multilevel models, drinking proximal to events of sexual intercourse increased the likelihood of unprotected sex with casual but not steady partners. For women there was a positive association between number of drinks and a greater likelihood of unprotected sex with casual partners but a negative association with steady partners. Drinking during situations involving opportunities for sex with casual partners increased the likelihood of sex. For women especially, drinking more increased the likelihood of sex occurring regardless of partner type. Conclusions Failure to assess the contextual determinants of the alcohol—unprotected sex association may result in underestimates of the magnitude of this association. These data highlight an important area for intervention with young adults: reducing alcohol-involved sexual risk behavior with casual partners, especially among women.
A motivational/individual differences model of infidelity is proposed in the course of empirically evaluating the traditional dichotomy between emotional and sexual motives. A scale assessing ...motivations for infidelity was developed and administered to 432 college students, 120 of whom reported past dating infidelity. Four motivations were identified and were associated as predicted with Big Five and other trait constructs; Sex was predicted by male gender, lower age, and unrestricted sociosexual orientation (SO); Dissatisfaction was predicted by female gender and Extraversion; Neglect was predicted by Neuroticism; and Anger by Neuroticism and low Agreeableness. As predicted, a two-factor model provides a poorer fit with the data than a multi-factor model. Unrestricted SO partially mediates the gender difference in endorsement of a sex motive for infidelity.
Study objective: Medical chart reviews are often used in emergency medicine research. However, the reliability of data abstracted by chart reviews is seldom examined critically. The objective of this ...investigation was to determine the proportion of emergency medicine research articles that use data from chart reviews and the proportions that report methods of case selection, abstractor training, monitoring and blinding, and interrater agreement. Methods: Research articles published in three emergency medicine journals from January 1989 through December 1993 were identified. The articles that used chart reviews were analyzed. Results: Of 986 original research articles that were identified, 244 (25%; 95% confidence interval CI, 22% to 28%) relied on chart reviews. Inclusion criteria were described in 98% (95% CI, 96% to 99%), and 73% (95% CI, 67% to 79%) defined the variables being analyzed. Other methods were seldom mentioned: abstractor training, 18% (95% CI, 13% to 23%); standardized abstraction forms, 11% (95% CI, 7% to 15%); periodic abstractor monitoring, 4% (95% CI, 2% to 7%); and abstractor blinding to study hypotheses, 3% (95% CI, 1% to 6%). Interrater reliability was mentioned in 5% (95% CI, 3% to 9%) and tested statistically in .4% (95% CI, 0% to 2%). A 15% random sample of articles was reassessed by a second investigator; interrater agreement was high for all eight criteria. Conclusion: Chart review is a common method of data collection in emergency medicine research. Yet, information about the quality of the data is usually lacking. Chart reviews should be held to higher methodologic standards, or the conclusions of these studies may be in error. Gilbert EH, Lowenstein SR, Koziol-McLain J, Barta DC, Steiner J: Chart reviews in emergency medicine research: Where are the methods? Ann Emerg Med March 1996;27:305-308.
Internal transport (means of continuous transport) is an inseparable element of technological processes in the food industry. The selection of appropriate parameters of the transport equipment ...depends on the product being manufactured, its design features, packaging and transport conditions. The paper presents the characteristics of a plate conveyor, selection of operating parameters in the juice transport process in a glass bottle. The paper presents selected test results depending on the linear speed of the plate conveyor, the angle of inclination of the load mass transport module and the position of the gravity centre. The work defined the linear speed ranges of the conveyor and the angle of inclination of the conveyor transporting module for transported glass bottles filled with juice.
Dragonfly assemblages represent sensitive indicators of environmental conditions including the water environment and forest structure. However, an understanding the ecology of tropical forest ...odonates remains one of the most significant gaps in our knowledge of the order. We sampled odonates at Sungai Wain Protection Forest, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Relatively high dragonfly species richness (88 species) was found during 35 survey days divided between two seasons. Seasonal differences in the species diversity were fairly small, in accordance with the fact that the climate in Kalimantan is generally stable. The highest species diversity was observed in intact primary forest: 60% of all recorded species were found there and 32% of all species were exclusive to this habitat. The proportion of biotope specialists decreased along the gradient -- intact primary forest, slightly degraded primary forest, secondary forest, heavily degraded forest and non-forest. The ordination obtained from detrended correspondence analysis showed, along the main axis, a gradient in community similarity corresponding to the degree of forest degradation. The evidence indicates that, within the applied spatial scale, any forest degradation results in fewer species, with a pronounced change in the species composition, and an overall reduction in taxonomic diversity.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: In some jurisdictions, persons who are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) are allowed to serve some portion of their prison sentence under home confinement as part ...of Intensive Supervision Programs (ISPs) which include pre-release psycho-education and close post-release supervision. Objectives: Test the hypothesis that persons convicted of DUI offenses who have spent some portion of their sentence under home confinement, as compared to a historical comparison group, will exhibit a relatively low re-conviction rate. Methods: Using administrative data for 1,410 repeat DUI offenders (302 members of the historical comparison group, 948 ISP members, and 160 persons who appear in both groups at different points in time), with a follow-up period of up to 3 years and 10 months, a marginal Cox model was employed to compare conviction rates of persons who experienced intensive supervision and home confinement with historical comparison group members. Results: Persons with ISP + home confinement experience a re-conviction rate that is less than half that observed in the comparison group. Age, ethnicity (white vs. non-white), and gender are also significant predictors of re-conviction. Conclusion: Home confinement, in conjunction with psycho-education and other program elements, is one means of reducing the costs of incarceration. The results of this study suggest that, in addition to cost savings, states may realize a public safety benefit in the form of a reduction in DUI offense rates.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, FSPLJ, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
One objective of translational science is to identify elements of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk-reduction interventions that have been shown to be effective and find new ways of delivering ...these interventions to the community to ensure that they reach the widest possible audience of at-risk individuals. The current study reports the development and evaluation of a computer-delivered, theory-based, individually tailored HIV risk-reduction intervention.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a custom computerized HIV/AIDS risk reduction intervention at increasing HIV/AIDS preventive behaviors in a randomized trial with 157 college students. The intervention content and delivery were based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model of Health Behavior Change and used Motivational Interviewing techniques. Participants completed a baseline assessment of HIV prevention information, motivation, behavioral skills and behavior, attended two brief computer-delivered intervention sessions, and completed a follow-up assessment.
As compared to the control group (a nutrition education tutorial), participants who interacted with the computer-delivered HIV/AIDS risk reduction intervention exhibited a significant increase in risk reduction behavior. Specifically, participants reported a greater frequency of keeping condoms available and displayed greater condom-related knowledge at a four-week follow-up session; among sexually active participants, there was a significant increase in self-reported condom use.
Delivery of brief individually tailored HIV/AIDS risk reduction interventions via computer may be an effective HIV/AIDS prevention approach for adolescents. More research is needed to further support the effectiveness of this type of intervention and determine the generalizability of these findings to economically and educationally disadvantaged adolescents.
According to prospect theory (
A. Tversky & D. Kahneman, 1981
), messages advocating a low-risk (i.e., easy, low-cost) behavior are most effective if they stress the benefits of adherence (
gain ...framed
), whereas messages advocating a risky behavior are most effective if they stress the costs of nonadherence (
loss framed
). Although condom use is viewed as a low-risk behavior, it may entail risky interpersonal negotiations. Study 1 (
N
= 167) compared ratings of condom use messages advocating relational behaviors (e.g., discussing condoms) or health behaviors (e.g., carrying condoms). As predicted, loss-framed relational messages and gain-framed health messages received higher evaluations. Study 2 (
N
= 225) offers a replication and evidence of issue involvement and gender as moderators. Results are discussed with reference to the design of condom use messages.
HIV prevalence in the American Deep South has reached crisis proportions and greater numbers of patients are enrolling in clinical care and beginning antiretroviral therapy (ART). In order to gain ...maximum benefit from ART, patients must sustain high levels of adherence to demanding regimens over extended periods of time. Many patients are unable to maintain high rates of adherence and may need assistance to do so, which may be based upon an understanding of barriers to adherence for a given population. The current study sought to gain understanding of barriers to adherence for a mixed urban/rural HIV-positive patient population in Mississippi and to determine whether barriers to adherence may be specific to gender, employment, depressive symptoms or educational attainment status. Seventy-two patients who missed a dose of ART medication over the last three days endorsed the top five reasons for missing a dose as: (1) not having the medication with them, (2) sleeping through the dose time, (3) running out of the medication, (4) being busy with other things and (5) other. Reported barriers were fairly consistent across different groups, although women and those classified as having moderate to severe depressive symptoms reported different patterns of adherence barriers. Results suggest that adherence interventions implemented in the Deep South must take into account specific barriers faced by individuals within this region, where stigma, gender disparities and limited resources are prevalent.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
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