Volume 6, Number 14
10 April 2006

The Pop Reporter is available in CD-ROM (January 2004 to present) format. Contact Robert Jacoby with your request and complete mailing address.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Antimicrobial self medication for reproductive tract infections in two provinces in Lao People’s Democratic Republic
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2006;82(2):182-186.
Sihavong A | Lundborg CS | Syhakhang L | Akkhavong K | Tomson G | Wahlström R
This article describes antimicrobial self medication for reproductive tract infections (RTI) including STIs, and explores the understanding and use of health information among the adult population self medicating with antimicrobials for RTI/STI in two provinces of Laos. Researchers found more than three quarters of respondents, self medicating for RTI/STI with antimicrobials, used inappropriate drugs bought from private pharmacies. They recommend improvement in RTI/STI management, including health promotion, through interventions at community level, and for health providers, including private drug sellers.

Integrating personality and psychosocial theoretical approaches to understanding safer sexual behavior: implications for message design
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global | North America)
Health Communication. 2006;19(2):165-174.
Noar SM | Zimmerman RS | Palmgreen P | Lustria M | Horosewski ML
The purpose of this study was to propose and conduct tests of a multivariate model of condom use utilizing data from 2 independent samples of young adults. Results support the fusion of personality and psychosocial approaches to gain a broader theoretical understanding of condom use in young adults.

Simplifying chlamydia testing: an innovative Chlamydia trachomatis testing approach using the internet and a home sampling strategy: population based study
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global | Europe)
Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2006;82(2):142-147.
Novak DP | Karlsson RB
Researchers measured the coverage, gender distribution, and participants’ prevalence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infections using a new internet based self selective testing approach by means of home sampling in the general population in Sweden. The overall population participation (all ages) was 906/256,885 (0.4%). 40% (364/906) of the tests were from men and 60% (542/906) from women. Simplifying and increasing the accessibility of chlamydia testing by means of internet and home sampling proved feasible.

Condom use and migration in a sample of Mexican migrants: potential for HIV/STI transmission
(Research Article; Central America and the Caribbean)
Salud Pública de México. 2006 Jan/Feb;48(1)
Fosados R | Caballero-Hoyos R | Torres-López T | Valente TW
This study analyzed the association between condom use and migration to the United States in two Mexican municipalities. Increased migration travel to the US was significantly associated with consistent condom use for Cuauhtémoc and Tonalá municipalities. Other significant predictors included age, type of sex partner, and perceived monogamy.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Botswana: theft of condoms worries PSI
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
6 Apr 2006
Mmegi/The Reporter
Population Services International (PSI) Botswana branch has said some people steal its free condoms for sale locally and abroad. A PSI country representative said at an annual stakeholders' meeting that there is need for a strategy to control the problem.

Pioneer Arabic family health web portal launches amid fanfare
(News Article; Middle East)
5 Apr 2006
AME info
Last week was the official launch of Jordan's first-of-its-kind Arabic health Web portal. The portal is aimed at enhancing the health competency of all individuals, families, communities and institutions across the Kingdom by providing them with relevant health related information. The portal, which can be accessed at www.sehetna.com, displays a variety of health topics and activities targeting different age groups and engages Jordanians from all walks of life including health professionals and the general public.

Contraceptives gaining popularity among rural Dhanusha women
(Feature Article; Asia)
8 Apr 2006
The Rising Nepal
The number of people using contraceptives has gone up substantially in the northwestern part of Dhanusa (Nepal) district, but stigma still remains.

People boil condoms, says Makerere don
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
5 Apr 2006
Daily Monitor
A Makerere University (Uganda) lecturer has said that some people are too poor to afford condoms and that they have resorted to re-sterilizing used condoms using steam from cooking food.

PM touts family planning to achieve development goals
(News Article; Asia)
6 Apr 2006
Viet Nam News
Related News Article: Viet Nam aims to keep population below 89 million by 2010
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai has called on all sectors to strictly implement family planning aimed at reducing the birth rate to 0.25 per thousand.

Warning about unauthorised pills
(News Article; Global | Oceania)
6 Apr 2006
RNZ
The Health Ministry is warning New Zealand women against taking unauthorized morning after pills and oral contraceptives, which it says could cause birth defects. It says surveillance by the medicines safety agency Medsafe has revealed that the pills have been sold to the public although they are not approved for use in the country. Ministry enforcement officers seized supplies of the illegal medicines, which are labelled in Chinese characters and may have come from a factory in China. They appear to have been imported privately and advertised through a Chinese language Web site over the past 18 months.

Dramatic changes in Chileans attitudes to sexual behaviour
(News Article; South America)
5 Apr 2006
MercoPress
Results of a survey document dramatic changes in attitudes towards sex and sexual behavior in Chile. Questions focusing on the most intimate details about the sex lives of Chileans revealed that Chile is not nearly as conservative as many have assumed.

Is syphilis being over- or under-treated in HIV-positive individuals?
(Feature Article; Global)
6 Apr 2006
Aidsmap
This feature article from Aidsmap brings together current thought and debate on treatment approaches for HIV patients with syphilis.

Girl child population on the rise in Punjab: Dogra
(News Article; Asia)
3 Apr 2006
New Kerala
The population of the girl child is on the rise in Punjab (India) due to strict implemenation of the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, the Health and Family Welfare Minister reported. Licences of 163 nursing homes had been suspended and cases against 79 had been sent to courts for legal action. Registration of four doctors had been cancelled for doing sex determination through ultrasound machines.

Morning-after pill over the counter at 12
(News Article; Europe)
7 Apr 2006
Daily Mail
Girls as young as 12 are to be given the morning-after pill over the counter in chemists' shops across the UK without the knowledge of their parents. Under new rules, primary care trusts are free to provide the drugs if they identify a problem with underage pregnancies in their area.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

Democracy and prostitution: deliberating the legalization of brothels in the Netherlands
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global | Europe)
Administration & Society. 2006;38(2):198-235.
Wagenaar H
This article discusses democratic deliberation as a core element of public administration in today's decentered world of governance. The juxtaposition of hierarchy and deliberation in policy networks is illustrated with the case of the legalization of brothels in the Netherlands. The case shows that despite distrust and conflict, the actors managed, through deliberative elements in negotiations, to attain the transformation of the prostitution sector into a regular business sector.

Do population control policies induce more human capital investment? Twins, birthweight, and China's 'one child' policy
(Research Article; Asia)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
Yale University Department of Economics Center for Economic Growth, March 2006. (Discussion Paper No. 933)
Rosenzweig MR | Zhang J
The authors use a new data set describing households with and without twin children in China to quantify the trade-off between the quality and quantity of children using the incidence of twins that for the first time takes into account effects associated with the lower birthweight and closer-spacing of twins compared to singleton births. They show that examining the effects of twinning by birth order, net of the effects stemming from the birthweight deficit of twins, can provide upper and lower bounds on the trade-off between family size and average child quality.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

From medical miracles to normal(ised) medicine: AIDS treatment, activism and citizenship in the UK and South Africa
(Report; Europe | Sub-Saharan Africa)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK , 2005.
Robins S
This paper compares and contrasts the cultures of activism and illness and treatment experiences of UK and South African AIDS activists. It investigates the significant differences between Northern and Southern experiences and responses to ARV treatment and the implications of these strikingly different treatment contexts, experiences and responses.

Prevalence and typing of human papilloma virus (HPV) among female sex workers and outpatient women in southern Thailand
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Sexual Health. 2006 Feb 20;3(1):11-14.
Chandeying V | Garland SM | Tabrizi SN
This study examined the prevalence of high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 524 Thai sex workers (SW) and compared this with 430 lower-risk outpatient women (OPW) in Thailand. There was a significantly higher HPV prevalence in Thai SW(22.9%) than OPW (4.6%). The results indicate that PCR could serve as a rapid and easy method for identification of women who require more frequent screening for cervical cancer.

Vulnerability, unsafe sex and non-adherence to HAART: Evidence from a large sample of French HIV/AIDS outpatients
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Europe)
Social Science & Medicine. 2006 May;62(10):2420-2433.
Peretti-Watel P | Spire B | Schiltz MA | Bouhnik AD | Heard I | Lert F | Obadia Y
This study investigated the correlates of non-adherence to highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) and unsafe sex with serodiscordant partners in a representative sample of 1,809 HIV-infected people in France. Among heterosexual women, non-adherence and unsafe sex appeared as joint outcomes of similar situations of vulnerability; in heterosexual men, these behaviors were weakly correlated and shared some predictors related to situations of vulnerability. In contrast, among homosexual men, non-adherence and unsafe sex were not correlated and had distinct determinants. Situations of vulnerability, the context and the motives of unsafe sex, as well as factors associated with non-adherence and unsafe sex varied greatly with gender and sexual preference and theoretical models used for designing behavioral interventions should take into account this diversity.

Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and syphilis among prison inmates and officers at Nsawam and Accra, Ghana
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Journal of Medical Microbiology. 2006;55(5):593-597.
Adjei AA | Armah HB | Gbagbo F | Ampofo WK | Quaye IKE | Hesse IFA | Mensah G
Findings from this study indicate a higher prevalence of HIV and HCV in correctional facilities (both prison inmates and officers) than in the general population in Ghana, suggesting their probable transmission in prisons in Ghana through intravenous drug use, unsafe sexual behavior, and tattooing.

HIV incidence and factors associated with HIV acquisition among injection drug users in St Petersburg, Russia
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
AIDS. 2006 Apr 4;20(6):901-906.
Kozlov AP | Shaboltas AV | Toussova OV | Verevochkin SV | Masse BR | Perdue T | Beauchamp G | Sheldon W | Miller WC | Heimer R | Ryder RW | Hoffman IF
This is a study of HIV incidence in 520 injection drug users (IDU) assessed for HIV-1 and reevaluated at 6 and 12 months in St Petersburg, Russia, in 2002. The HIV-1 incidence rate was 4.5/100 person-years and psychostimulant use, especially frequent use, three or more sex partners in the past 6 months, and females selling sex were associated with HIV seroconversion. The incidence of HIV infection places in IDU in St. Petersburg is among the highest in Europe. Interventions targeting psychostimulant and heroin users and their accompanying behaviors such as frequent injections and increased sexual activity are needed.

HIV testing practices in Jamaica
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Central America and the Caribbean)
HIV Medicine. 2006 May;7(4):231-242.
Norman LR
Of the 1,558 sexually experienced persons examined for this study (aged 15-49 years), 38% reported a history of HIV testing. Those most likely to report previous HIV testing included adults, females, persons with post-high school education, and married persons. HIV testing was not associated with condom use or with the number of sexual partners. The author recommends that effective messages and programs promoting HIV testing need to be developed and implemented in Jamaica in order to educate people about how to assess their level of risk with respect to contracting HIV.

"Positive" urban futures in sub-Saharan Africa: HIV/AIDS and the need for ABC (a broader conceptualization)
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Environment and Urbanization. 2006;18(1):155-175.
Van Donk M
This paper calls for a different kind of ABC, A Broader Conceptualization, based on an understanding of HIV/AIDS as a complex and dynamic development issue. The paper explores factors in the urban environment that are associated with increased vulnerability to HIV infection and the likely implications of the epidemic for urban development, with specific reference to the region that is currently the epicenter of the global epidemic, sub-Saharan Africa.

Criteria for detecting and understanding changes in the risk of HIV infection at a national level in generalised epidemics
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2006;82(Suppl 1):i48-i51.
Garnett GP | Gregson S | Stanecki KA
Identification of causes of changes in prevalence and incidence of HIV at a national level is important for planning future prevention and intervention needs. However, the slow progression to disease and the sensitive and stigmatizing nature of the associated behaviors can make this difficult. Changing rates of incidence are to be expected as an epidemic progresses, but separating background changes from those brought about by changes in behavior and interventions requires careful analysis. This paper discusses the criteria required to determine whether observed changes in HIV prevalence are the result of changes in behavior.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

FDA approves first generic HIV/AIDS drug in capsule form
(Press Release; Global | North America)
31 Mar 2006
FDA
The Food and Drug Administration issued the first generic approval for the capsule dosage form of zidovudine to treat HIV/AIDS to be marketed in the United States.

Worry over growing HIV ignorance
(News Article; Europe)
7 Apr 2006
BBC
People in the UK are more ignorant of how HIV is transmitted than they were 5 years ago, a new poll says. Despite rising infection levels in the UK, 12% fewer people know the virus can be passed on through unprotected sex.

Lesotho: 'Know your status' drive needs $12.5m and people's cooperation
(Feature Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
6 Apr 2006
Integrated Regional Information Networks
The success of Lesotho's plan to increase access to HIV/AIDS treatment will depend on a national commitment to being tested for the virus and a R75 million (US $12.5 million) financial boost.

Nepal: Stronger HIV/AIDS awareness urgently needed
(Feature Article; Asia)
7 Apr 2006
Integrated Regional Information Networks
Although there is a high level of awareness among certain groups, particularly among young educated people and those living in urban areas - many of the country’s 27 million inhabitants still lack the information they need.

Shortage of health workers in developing countries impeding fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, WHO report says
(Feature Article; Global)
7 Apr 2006
Daily HIV/AIDS Report
A shortage of more than 4 million health care workers in 57 developing countries is hampering efforts to combat diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, according to the World Health Organization's World Health Report 2006 released Friday.

South Africa: Rape trial testimony sets back AIDS awareness, say NGOs
(Feature Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
6 Apr 2006
Integrated Regional Information Networks
HIV/AIDS activists have expressed concern that testimony by former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma, who is standing trial for rape, might reverse the gains made in creating awareness about the pandemic.

Mozambique: Government and donors set up common fund against AIDS
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
3 Apr 2006
Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique
The Mozambican government and seven donors and funding agencies on Monday signed a Memorandum in Maputo setting up a Common Fund for disbursing assistance for the fight against HIV/AIDS.

With 1.8% rate, Honduras fails to focus on HIV threat
(Feature Article; Central America and the Caribbean)
7 Apr 2006
International AIDS Society
A leading Honduran epidemiologist accused the country of failing to make HIV treatment and prevention a priority, despite a 1.8% HIV prevalence in the Central American country of 7 million people.

Uganda army halts training for HIV-infected troops
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
4 Apr 2006
Reuters
The Ugandan army will halt training for HIV-positive soldiers for fear it could worsen their condition, a military spokesman said.

Uganda: abstinence - the safest or most dangerous HIV strategies?
(Feature Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
4 Apr 2006
Integrated Regional Information Networks
This article examines the debate over Uganda's promotion of abstinence until marriage as the country's primary HIV prevention method.

GAO criticizes Bush's AIDS plan
(News Article; Global)
5 Apr 2006
The Washington Post
Related Report: Spending requirement presents challenges for allocating prevention funding under the President's emergency plan for AIDS relief
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
The requirement that a large fraction of President Bush's global AIDS plan go to promote abstinence and fidelity is causing confusion in many countries and in a few is eroding other prevention efforts, including ones to reduce mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Those are among the chief conclusions of an 87-page report by the Government Accountability Office that examined the most controversial aspect of the giant AIDS plan, budgeted at $15 billion over 5 years.

How AIDS in Africa was overstated
(News Article; Global)
6 Apr 2006
The Washington Post
Findings in new studies raise questions about monitoring by the UN AIDS agency, which for years overestimated the extent of HIV/AIDS in East and West Africa and, by a smaller margin, in southern Africa, according to independent researchers and UN officials.

India reports rise in HIV infections to 5.2 mln
(News Article; Asia)
7 Apr 2006
Reuters
India reported a rise in HIV infections in 2005, a top health official said, with more than 5.2 million people now thought to be living with the virus, the second largest number in any country after South Africa. That was an increase of 72,000 from 2004, with high risk groups like prostitutes and homosexuals the biggest cause for concern.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Maternal deaths in Sagamu in the new millennium: a facility-based retrospective analysis
(Research Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2006;6(6)
Oladapo OT | Lamina MA | Fakoya TA
This study presents the magnitude and distribution of causes of maternal deaths at the beginning of the 21st century in a Nigerian referral hospital and derives recommendations to reduce its frequency.

Differences between international recommendations on breastfeeding in the presence of HIV and the attitudes and counselling messages of health workers in Lilongwe, Malawi
(Research Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
International Breastfeeding Journal. 2006;1(2)
Piwoz EG | Ferguson YO | Bentley ME | Corneli AL | Moses A | Nkhoma J | Tohill BC | Mtimuni B | Ahmed Y | Jamieson DJ | van der Horst C | Kazembe P | UNC Project BAN Study Team
This paper presents data on Malawian health workers' attitudes and counselling messages relative to the current recommendations for infant feeding by HIV-infected mothers.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Maternity death, infant tetanus rates drop in China
(News Article; Asia)
10 Apr 2006
Xinhua
The mortality rate of women in pregnancy and childbirth and infant tetanus rate have fallen sharply in China, especially in underdeveloped central and western regions, according to a spokesman with the Ministry of Health.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Adaptation of venue-day-time sampling in Southeast Asia to access men who have sex with men for HIV assessment in Bangkok
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Field Methods. 2006;18(2):135-152.
Mansergh G | Naorat S | Jommaroeng R | Jenkins RA | Jeeyapant S | Kanggarnrua K | Phanuphak P | Tappero JW | van Griensven F
This article describes adaptation and implementation of venue-day-time sampling to enroll Thai men who have sex with men through bars, saunas, and parks in Bangkok for the first community-based assessment of HIV prevalence and risk behavior.

The HIV related risks among men having sex with men in rural Yunnan, China: a qualitative study
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2006;82(2):127-130.
Wong WCW | Zhang J | Wu SC | Kong TSK | Ling DCY
This study explored the characteristics and issues specific to HIV related risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in rural China. Risk behaviour, social stigma, one child policy and concepts of traditional Chinese medicine had significant roles in the spread of HIV in rural China. Many MSM lead a life with double identities in China, and condom use was found to be variable with attempts to "rationalize" the risky behavior being its major determining factor. Health seeking behaviors of genitourinary problems were infrequent and illogical, which were further held back by the existing healthcare system and lack of sensitivity expressed by the health professionals.

Male hormonal contraception: concept proven, product in sight?
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Human Reproduction. Online access April 5, 2006.
Matthiesson KL | McLachlan RI
While a prototype of a male hormonal contraception is well advanced, this article argues that the development of an effective, consumer-friendly male contraceptive remains challenging, as it requires strong translational cooperation not only between basic scientists and clinicians but also between public and private sectors.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

The other face of domestic violence
(Feature Article; North America)
7 Apr 2006
CNN
CNN reports it is "hard to believe" three men's stories about their ordeals of domestic abuse at the hands of their wives, even though studies repeatedly find that 35% to 50% of intimate partner violence victims are men.

POPULATION NEWS

Zimbabwe: Adult population to die before age 40, says UN report
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
7 Apr 2006
Integrated Regional Information Networks
Neither men nor women in one of the world's fastest shrinking economies are expected to reach the age of 40, according to the 'World Health Report 2006', based on the statistics for 2004.

Japan posts year-to-year population decline for first time last year
(News Article; Asia)
7 Apr 2006
Mainichi Daily News
Japan's population shrank in the year through November 2005, the first annual decrease on record, the health and welfare ministry said.

Women 'outliving men worldwide'
(Editorial; Global)
6 Apr 2006
BBC
Related Editorial: Life expectancy: women now on top everywhere
An editorial in the British Medical Journal begins: "The year 2006 should not be allowed to pass without at least a quiet celebration that this is the first year in human history when—across almost all the world—women can expect to enjoy a longer life expectancy than men."

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Gender disadvantage and reproductive health risk factors for common mental disorders in women: a community survey in India
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Archives of General Psychiatry. 2006;63(4):404-413.
Patel V | Kirkwood BR | Pednekar S | Pereira B | Barros P | Fernandes J | Datta J | Pai R | Weiss H | Mabey D
Researchers determined the association of factors indicative of gender disadvantage and reproductive health with the risk of common mental disorders (CMDs) in women (n=2,494, aged 18-45) in Goa, India. Prevalence of CMD was 6.6%. Gynecological symptoms may be somatic equivalents of CMD in women in Asian cultures.

The role of the African traditional healer in women’s health
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Journal of Transcultural Nursing. 2006;17(2):184-189.
Nelms LW | Gorski J
This article reviews more recent literature and contemporary practices related to the role of the traditional healer in Africa and the move toward collaboration with an introduction of Western-style medicine and health care, especially for women.

Identification of chlamydia and gonorrhoea among women in rural Haiti: maximising access to treatment in a resource poor setting
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Central America and the Caribbean)
Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2006;82(2):175-181.
Smith Fawzi MC | Lambert W | Singler J | Léandre F | Nevil P | Bertrand D | Claude MS | Bertrand J | Louissaint M | Jeannis L | Ferrer JG | Cook EF | Salazar JJ | Farmer P | Mukherjee JS
The authors found that a risk assessment algorithm to identify women with chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea is more sensitive and less specific than the syndromic management approach advocated by WHO and adapted by the Haitian Ministry of Health.

Nutrition and reproduction in women
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Human Reproduction Update. 2006;12(3):193-207.
The ESHRE Capri Workshop Group
This article explores how the reproductive axis is closely linked to nutritional status.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Chad Red Cross involves African tribal chiefs in the fight against female genital mutilation
(Feature Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
5 Apr 2006
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
In an effort to mobilize tribal chiefs in southern Chad, the country’s Red Cross Society has set up an advocacy project with the support of the International Federation and the Swedish Red Cross. Recently, several chiefs gathered in the Bodo area, where they attended a training session organized by the female genital mutilation awareness program run by Chad Red Cross.

Cervical cancer vaccine gives long protection: study
(News Article; Global)
6 Apr 2006
Reuters
A vaccine that protects women against a virus that causes cervical cancer is effective for more than 4 years.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Factors associated with the reproductive health risk behavior of high school students in the Republic of the Marshall Islands
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Oceania)
Journal of School Health. 2006 Apr;76(4):138-144.
Suzuki K | Motohashi Y | Kaneko Y
This study revealed factors associated with reproductive health risk behavior among high school students in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Factors significantly associated with reproductive health risk behavior among both the boys and the girls were a negative attitude toward condom use, not considering receiving public health information and services as a human right, and not knowing where to go for consultation about questions and concerns related to sex. A factor associated with risk behavior in boys alone was acceptance of sexual acts without love; factors in girls alone were insufficient knowledge concerning routes of infection by STDs and lack of future life plans.

The effect of the national demonstration project Healthy Respect on teenage sexual health behaviour
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Europe)
European Journal of Public Health. Online access April 6, 2006.
Tucker JS | Fitzmaurice AE | Imamura M | Penfold S | Penney GC | van Teijlingen E | Shucksmith J | Philip KL
This study examined the effect of the school-based sexual health education intervention (Healthy Respect, in Scotland) comprising multiprofessional classroom delivery and alongside drop-in clinics on teenage sexual behaviour outcomes. Before-and-after cross-sectional surveys of secondary school pupils (average age 14 years and 6 months) were used in 10 Healthy Respect intervention schools in Lothian region and 5 comparison schools without intervention in Grampian region (2001 and 2003). The findings demonstrate limited impact on sexual health behavior outcomes and raise questions about the likely and achievable sexual health gains for teenagers from school-based interventions.

Birth order and risky adolescent behavior
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global | North America)
Economic Inquiry. 2006;44(2):215-233.
Argys LA | Rees DI | Averett SL | Witoonchart B
The authors use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth–1979 to investigate the association between birth order and adolescent behaviors such as smoking, drinking, marijuana use, sexual activity, and crime. Their estimates show that middle borns and last borns are much more likely to use substances and to be sexually active than their firstborn counterparts. These results provide the strongest evidence to date that birth order is related to measurable behaviors.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Pakistan: Child marriages on the rise across rural Sindh
(Feature Article; Asia)
31 Mar 2006
Integrated Regional Information Networks
In Khairpur, a city of some 125,000 people, located 450 km northeast of the port city of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest urban center and the capital of the Sindh province, child marriages are increasingly common. Bride prices commonly range from $1,400 to $5,000, with younger girls drawing a larger amount. Families facing acute economic hardships have stated they have “no choice” but to sell off girls to older men, while in many cases the deal is made by a single, almost invariably male member of the family, such as the father or grandfather of the girl, without consulting other family members.

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Volume 6, Number 1410 April 2006