Binge Drinking among 12-to-14-Year-Old Canadians: Findings from a Population-Based Study

Purpose. This study’s objective is to document which factors are associated with binge drinking behaviour in a population-based sample of Canadian youth aged 12 to 14. Middle school is a key period in which binge drinking behaviour is initiated. Binge drinking is an important risk factor for alcohol-related injuries, accidental death, unsafe sexual behaviour, and substance abuse problems. Understanding the drinking patterns of this population can serve to better inform prevention programs and interventions targeted to middle school youth. Methods. This study was based on a secondary analysis of a regionally representative community-based sample drawn from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) cycle 3.1. Crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses of binge drinking were conducted using the 6,172 respondents aged 12 to 14 in the sample. Results. Approximately one in every twenty-five 12-to-14-year-olds had binged in the past year. The odds of binge drinking were higher among Whites, poorer adolescents, those with several chronic health conditions, and those with mood disorders. Neither sex, immigrant status, nor self-rated health was significantly associated with binge drinking in either the adjusted or the unadjusted analyses. Conclusions. These findings underline the importance of binge drinking as a public health issue for middle school adolescents.

Medical and Nursing Students Perceived Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices concerning Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Objective. To assess medical and nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Fiji. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 275 medical and 252 nursing students that participated in a questionnaire survey on HIV KAP. Data was analysed according to their gender, program of study, and academic year. Results. The mean HIV knowledge (HK) and attitude scores were 16.0 and 41.3, respectively. Mean HK score was significantly higher in males compared to females. Significant positive correlations were found between HK and academic year for medical (R=0.459) and nursing (R=0.342) students and between HK and attitude scores (R=0.196). The majority of students indicated fear in contracting HIV through clinical practice and felt that health care workers have the right to know a patients HIV status for their own safety. The majority would wear gloves to touch a patient if suspected of HIV. Conclusions. The study found a high level of HIV knowledge and positive attitude towards HIV patients. However, respondents also displayed negative attitudes and unacceptable practices probably due to fear. Training institutions need to ensure that students gain accurate knowledge on HIV especially on transmission routes to allay the fear of caring for HIV-infected patients.

Culture, Caregiving, and Health: Exploring the Influence of Culture on Family Caregiver Experiences

Ethnic minorities are expected to experience a greater demand for family caregiving than non-Latino Whites due to their projected population growth. Although the consensus of researchers on caregiving and culture finds that the caregiving experience differs significantly among cultural/ethnic groups, the question remains as to how cultural values and norms influence the caregiver experiences. We conducted an interpretative, phenomenological qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts from four groups (African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and European American) for cultural influences on caregiving. Data were collected in Nevada between December 7, 2009, and August 20, 2010. Thirty-five caregivers participated in this study. We found commonalities among all of the cultural/ethnic groups in their experiences of the difficulties of caregiving. However, there were some significant differences in the cultural values and norms that shaped the caregiving experience. We categorized these differences as: (a) cultural embeddedness of caregiving, (b) cultural determinants of caregiving responsibilities or taxonomy of caregiving, and (c) cultural values and norms underlying the decision to provide care. The significance of this study is that it highlights the culturally perceived mandate to provide care in the African, Asian, and Hispanic American cultures.

Nsambya Community Home-Based Care Complements National HIV and TB Management Efforts and Contributes to Health Systems Strengthening in Uganda: An Observational Study

Community Home-Based Care (CHBC) has evolved in resource-limited settings to fill the unmet needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). We compare HIV and tuberculosis (TB) outcomes from the Nsambya CHBC with national averages in Kampala, Uganda. This retrospective observational study compared HIV and TB outcomes from adults and children in the Nsambya CHBC to national averages from 2007 to 2011. Outcomes included numbers of HIV and TB patients enrolled into care, retention, loss to follow-up (LTFU), and mortality among patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at 12 months from initiation; new smear-positive TB cure and defaulter rates; and proportion of TB patients tested for HIV. Chi-square test and trends analyses were used to compare outcomes from Nsambya CHBC with national averages. By 2011, approximately 14,000 PLHA had been enrolled in the Nsambya CHBC, and about 4,000 new cases of TB were detected and managed over the study period. Overall, retention and LTFU of ART patients 12 months after initiation, proportion of TB patients tested for HIV, and cure rates for new smear-positive TB scored higher in the Nsambya CHBC compared to national averages. The findings show that Nsambya CHBC complements national HIV and TB management and results in more positive outcomes.

Effectiveness of the Premarital Education Programme in Iran

Introduction. Iran is confronted with increasing trend of divorce in recent decades. Considering the probable role of sexual dissatisfaction in the breakdown of marriages, the Ministry of Health recently decided to enrich the educational content of the premarital education programmes. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the new program with the classic one. Methods. Three hundred fifty-one women were divided into two premarital education groups: classic education (n=162) and new education (n=189). The mental health, quality of life, marital satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction of women were evaluated one year after marriage. Results. At one-year followup, both groups showed improvement in mental health (P<0.001); however physical health-related quality of life decreased in both groups. The two groups showed no significant difference in terms of sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction showed significant correlation with sexual satisfaction (r=0.55, P<0.001). Conclusion. The new program of premarital education showed no superiority over the classic method. Considering the increasing rate of divorce in Iran, the premarital education programmes may not be successful in achieving their goals. Revision of the premarital education programme is warranted.

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Bacteria Isolated from Mobile Phones of Health Care Professionals Working in Gondar Town Health Centers

Background. Mobile phones of health professionals can harbor various potential pathogens and become exogenous sources of infection for the patients, self, and family members. This study assessed the frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacteria from mobile phones of health care workers. Methods. In this crosssectional study a total of 58 health care professionals mobile phones were swabbed before and after decontamination with 70% alcohol and assessed for contamination with bacteria. Bacterial isolation, identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility test was done as per the standard procedures. Results. About 98% of the mobile phones assessed in this study were contaminated with bacteria. Coagulase negative Staphylococci, S. aureus, and E. coli were the most frequently isolated bacteria. Decontamination with 70% alcohol significantly decreased the rate of contamination from 98.3% to 55.2% (χ2=30.17;P-value<0.0001). About 17% of the isolates were resistant to two drugs. Conclusion. Appropriate infection prevention measures should be taken to minimize the risk that could be associated with mobile phones since the rate of contamination was high. Decontamination with 70% alcohol was effective in minimizing bacterial contamination of mobile phones so it should be used as a decontaminant agent for these apparatuses.

Reproductive Intentions of HIV-Positive Women on ARV Treatment in Abia State, Southeast Nigeria

Introduction. In the African culture, the primary reason for marriage is procreation. Every female strives to perform this role irrespective of her health status so as to fulfill part of the conditions for maintaining the marriage. The question is, to what extent are HIV-positive women aware of the risks of fulfilling this role? The study aimed to determine the reproductive intentions of HIV-positive women in Abia State. Materials and Methods. This was a longitudinal cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among married HIV-positive women attending the Heart to Heart treatment centre in Abia State University Teaching Hospital from February to October 2013. Systematic sampling was used to select 250 married women between the ages of 15–49 years who are on antiretroviral therapy. Interviewer administered questionnaire and focus group discussion were used to obtain relevant information from the participants. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. SPSS version 17 software was also used in the analyses. Results. The mean number of living children of the respondents was 2.3 ± 4.7. A good proportion of the respondents, 158 (63.7%) the desired to have more children. The younger the age group of the respondents (OR = 7.33), the lower their parity (OR = 3.69) and more regular they attended ARV clinic (OR = 47.76) the more they desired to have more children. The main reason for desiring more children was the quest to have male children. In the words of one respondent, “without a male child, the marriage is not secure. The woman can be chased out at any time.” Conclusion. The fact that a large proportion of HIV-positive women, irrespective of the mean number of living children and their gender, still desired to have more children shows poor knowledge of the risk they are exposed to by having large number of children. Family counseling/education on the benefits of using family planning devices especially condom is necessary for HIV-positive women and their male partners.

Prevalence, Purposes, and Perceived Effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in a Hypertension Population: A Questionnaire Survey

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used among patients with hypertension. This study aimed to determine the use of CAM in community-dwelling individuals with hypertension. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was administered to 318 hypertension patients to examine prevalence and patterns of CAM use; the use of CAM, specifically for treatment of hypertension or other conditions, and perceived effectiveness of CAM were examined. CAM use in the last 12 months was reported by 236 (74.2%) participants. Only 13.1% of these CAM users reported using CAM to treat hypertension. CAM users did not differ statistically from non-CAM users by age, marital status, health status, duration of hypertension, income, or education. Females showed a significantly higher prevalence of CAM use than that of males (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.09, 3.11). Family/relatives, doctors, and patients themselves were the three main sources of information about CAM. More than 70% of responses were able to perceive the effectiveness of alternative medical systems, mind-body medicine, and manipulative/body-based therapies. There was a high prevalence of CAM use among hypertension patients, although the majority of CAM use was not specifically for hypertension. Further research is needed to assess the safety and efficacy of diverse CAM.

Children’s Quality of Life in Europe: National Wealth and Familial Socioeconomic Position Explain Variations in Mental Health and Wellbeing—A Multilevel Analysis in 27 EU Countries

Sizeable variations in quality of life (QoL) and wellbeing according to socioeconomic status and national wealth have been observed. The assessment of children’s wellbeing may vary, depending on whether a parental or a child perspective is taken. Still, both perspectives provide important and valid information on children’s wellbeing. The Flash Eurobarometer no. 246 which was conducted for the European Commission assesses parents’ reports on their children’s health and wellbeing in 27 EU member states. Overall, 12,783 parents of 6–17-year-old children in the 27 EU states participated in telephone interviews. Parents reported children’s QoL and wellbeing using the KIDSCREEN-10 measure, as well as their occupational status and education level. Within a multilevel analysis, the KIDSCREEN-10 was regressed on parental occupation and education level. Random intercepts and slopes were regressed on gross domestic product per capita and income inequality. Low QoL was reported in 11.6% of cases, whereby cross-national variation accounted for 13% of the total variance in QoL. Children from countries with higher national wealth and lower income inequality were at lower risk for low QoL and wellbeing. Higher age of the child, a medium or low parental occupational status, and low parental educational status were associated with a higher risk for low QoL and wellbeing.