Objective To estimate the relationship between migration and HIV risky behavior when controlling for gender, age, and educational levels and to evaluate the gender differences in migration, HIV knowledge, and HIV risk...Objective To estimate the relationship between migration and HIV risky behavior when controlling for gender, age, and educational levels and to evaluate the gender differences in migration, HIV knowledge, and HIV risky behaviors among rural youth in China. Methods A cross-sectional, anonymous, investigative questionnaire for 1710 unmarried, out-of-school rural youth, aged between 15 and 24 years, was handed out in Gongzhuling county of Jilin province, China. Results 58.5% of participants had a history of migration, irrespective of gender. There were gender differences observed in other factors such as drug abuse(4.3% for males and 5.5% for females, P〈0.01), multiple sexual partners(24.1% for males and 44.1% for females, P〈0.01), and HIV knowledge rate(35.2% for males and 25.5% for females, P〈0.001). While controlling for gender, age, and educational levels, the relationships between migration and drug abuse, selling sex, and non usage of condoms during last instance of sexual activity were found to be significant. The cases of premarital sex and multiple sexual partners were both not found to be related to migration. Conclusion Among rural youth, the HIV risky behavior such as drug abuse, selling sex, and lack of condom use, is significantly related to migration, while premarital sex and multiple sexual partners seem unrelated to migration.展开更多
This study investigated multiple aspects of vulnerability to HIV in out-of-school adolescents and youth in Yunnan Province, a high HIV risk region in China. The findings show that socially disadvantaged adolescents an...This study investigated multiple aspects of vulnerability to HIV in out-of-school adolescents and youth in Yunnan Province, a high HIV risk region in China. The findings show that socially disadvantaged adolescents and youth were overrepresented in the out-of-school young people in Yunnan. The out-of-school young people in Yunnan exhibited 1) limited knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention, 2) a high prevalence of unprotected sexual activity, 3) high exposure to illicit drugs and alcohol use and a high prevalence of drug use in themselves, and 4) limited access to health services. There is an indication of higher exposure to risk behaviours in the younger age group. The study population used multiple media, particularly television, internet and radio, to obtain information about HIV transmission and prevention, particularly in the younger age group. These media may be an effective way of reaching this population in future HIV education and prevention programs in the region.展开更多
This paper examines the significance of spatial externalities for youths’ school-to-training transitions in Germany. For this purpose, it is necessary to address the methodological question of how an individual’s sp...This paper examines the significance of spatial externalities for youths’ school-to-training transitions in Germany. For this purpose, it is necessary to address the methodological question of how an individual’s spatial context has to be operationalized with respect to both its extent and the problem of spatial autocorrelation. Our analyses show that the “zone of influence” comprises of the whole of Germany, not only close-by districts, and that these effects differ between structurally weak and strong regions. Consequently, assuming that only close proximity affects individual outcomes may disregard relevant contextual influences, and for spatial models that require an a priori definition of the weights for spatial units, it may be erroneous to make a decision based on this assumption. Concerning spatial autocorrelation, we found that neglecting local spatial autocorrelation at the context level causes considerable bias to the estimates, especially for districts that are close to the home district.展开更多
Background Waist circumference (WC), a proxy measure of central body fat, is a better predictor than overall body fat for cardiovascular risk factors in both adults and children. WC cutoffs have been established in ...Background Waist circumference (WC), a proxy measure of central body fat, is a better predictor than overall body fat for cardiovascular risk factors in both adults and children. WC cutoffs have been established in many countries, but the national WC reference has not been developed in China. Objective To study the distribution of WC in a representative group of Chinese children for establishing Chinese WC cutoff points. Methods Cross-sectional data obtained from 15 mainland provinces and Hong Kong were collected. There were 160 225 children and adolescents aged 7-18 years old in total. The subjects were divided into five regional groups namely costal city, other city, noah rural, south rural, and Hong Kong, for analyzing the distribution of WC. Results A large variation in WC distribution was found among the five groups for both sexes. Coastal city group had the highest P85 WC values consistently from the early school ages to 18-year-old compared with other groups. In contrast, south rural group had P85 values consistently lagged behind not only the city groups but also the north rural group. Hong Kong group had a high P85 WC at early ages, but because of the smaller increments of WC during adolescence, the P85 curve was gradually exceeded by the north rural groups. Catch-up trend was found in the two rural groups since the peak of puberty. These disparities were caused by not only socioeconomic and urban-rural factors but also north-south differences. Because of the regional variation of WC, a "gradient" prevalence of central obesity was prospected among these groups. Comparisons of WC distributions between the Chinese and the U.S.A or Netherlands demonstrated the necessary of setting up China's own WC cutoffs. Sex and age-specific percentiles were obtained and smoothed by using LMS method. Conclusion The data obtained from this study could be used to develop national WC cutoff points for Chinese children and adolescents.展开更多
This article addresses the important role school health education program can play in reducing youth risky behaviors that lead to incarceration, diseases and fatalities or that impact their academic performance in sch...This article addresses the important role school health education program can play in reducing youth risky behaviors that lead to incarceration, diseases and fatalities or that impact their academic performance in school. Children growing up are at risks of exposure to different behaviors and common social influences which if unchecked result in unexpected health consequences common among youth in America today. According to US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the six leading behaviors that cause death, disability, and social problems among American children are: unintentional injuries and violence, alcohol and drug use, tobacco use, unhealthy diets, inadequate physical activities, and sexual behaviors and diseases. This article shows that school health program: 1) can provide the foundation for children to learn desired healthy behaviors in order to preserve life, 2) protects the future of children and that of the nation, 3) can teach students skills to recognize risky behaviors and resist them, 4) can boost community efforts to achieve desired health behaviors, 5) closes socio-economic gaps that interfere with basic nurturing of children, and 6) finally links local stakeholders as partners in promoting community safety. Through review of literature, the authors found that it costs ($588) daily or (214,620) annually to incarcerate a juvenile and only $75 daily for the cost of individualized community-based services. The cost to New York is over $900,000, yet does not address the causative issues. The authors recommend that schools teach comprehensive school health from kindergarten to grade 12 and employ health educators to support teachers teach health promotion and education.展开更多
The aim was to describe aspects of students’ knowledge of sexuality and contraception and their sexual behaviour in schools in Ségou, Mali. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"&g...The aim was to describe aspects of students’ knowledge of sexuality and contraception and their sexual behaviour in schools in Ségou, Mali. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Materials and Methods:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> This was a one-pass cross-sectional survey with reasoned choice at the first level and random choice at the second level over a 3-month period from January 2013 to March 2013. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The majority of the students involved in our study reside in the commune of Ségou, 90.4%. The average age of our students was 18. The female sex was the most represented in our study with 59.7%. The majority of students had casual sex at 60.3% and 70.9% irregularly. The change of sexual partner affected 47.9% of schoolchildren. Of our sexually active students, 72.6% had sexual partners and 37.4% had more than 2 partners. The main sources of information are respectively the media with 72.1% followed by teachers with 12.9% and friends with 09.7%. Among the most well-known contraceptive methods, condoms rank first with 72.6%, followed by injectable with 72.0%. 70.6% of the population had not yet used a contraceptive method at first sexual intercourse and in 72.9% of cases was condoms. The most cited source of contraceptive supply is pharmacy with 49.5% followed by family planning centres and maternity wards at 16.2% and shops at 16.2%. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: The referral of young people to approved health facilities for contraception could prevent them from risky sexual behaviours.展开更多
基金supported by the 2006 Chinese National AIDS Prevention Social Mobilization Project 06-I-37
文摘Objective To estimate the relationship between migration and HIV risky behavior when controlling for gender, age, and educational levels and to evaluate the gender differences in migration, HIV knowledge, and HIV risky behaviors among rural youth in China. Methods A cross-sectional, anonymous, investigative questionnaire for 1710 unmarried, out-of-school rural youth, aged between 15 and 24 years, was handed out in Gongzhuling county of Jilin province, China. Results 58.5% of participants had a history of migration, irrespective of gender. There were gender differences observed in other factors such as drug abuse(4.3% for males and 5.5% for females, P〈0.01), multiple sexual partners(24.1% for males and 44.1% for females, P〈0.01), and HIV knowledge rate(35.2% for males and 25.5% for females, P〈0.001). While controlling for gender, age, and educational levels, the relationships between migration and drug abuse, selling sex, and non usage of condoms during last instance of sexual activity were found to be significant. The cases of premarital sex and multiple sexual partners were both not found to be related to migration. Conclusion Among rural youth, the HIV risky behavior such as drug abuse, selling sex, and lack of condom use, is significantly related to migration, while premarital sex and multiple sexual partners seem unrelated to migration.
文摘This study investigated multiple aspects of vulnerability to HIV in out-of-school adolescents and youth in Yunnan Province, a high HIV risk region in China. The findings show that socially disadvantaged adolescents and youth were overrepresented in the out-of-school young people in Yunnan. The out-of-school young people in Yunnan exhibited 1) limited knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention, 2) a high prevalence of unprotected sexual activity, 3) high exposure to illicit drugs and alcohol use and a high prevalence of drug use in themselves, and 4) limited access to health services. There is an indication of higher exposure to risk behaviours in the younger age group. The study population used multiple media, particularly television, internet and radio, to obtain information about HIV transmission and prevention, particularly in the younger age group. These media may be an effective way of reaching this population in future HIV education and prevention programs in the region.
文摘This paper examines the significance of spatial externalities for youths’ school-to-training transitions in Germany. For this purpose, it is necessary to address the methodological question of how an individual’s spatial context has to be operationalized with respect to both its extent and the problem of spatial autocorrelation. Our analyses show that the “zone of influence” comprises of the whole of Germany, not only close-by districts, and that these effects differ between structurally weak and strong regions. Consequently, assuming that only close proximity affects individual outcomes may disregard relevant contextual influences, and for spatial models that require an a priori definition of the weights for spatial units, it may be erroneous to make a decision based on this assumption. Concerning spatial autocorrelation, we found that neglecting local spatial autocorrelation at the context level causes considerable bias to the estimates, especially for districts that are close to the home district.
基金Funded by International Life Sciences Institute,Focal Point in China.
文摘Background Waist circumference (WC), a proxy measure of central body fat, is a better predictor than overall body fat for cardiovascular risk factors in both adults and children. WC cutoffs have been established in many countries, but the national WC reference has not been developed in China. Objective To study the distribution of WC in a representative group of Chinese children for establishing Chinese WC cutoff points. Methods Cross-sectional data obtained from 15 mainland provinces and Hong Kong were collected. There were 160 225 children and adolescents aged 7-18 years old in total. The subjects were divided into five regional groups namely costal city, other city, noah rural, south rural, and Hong Kong, for analyzing the distribution of WC. Results A large variation in WC distribution was found among the five groups for both sexes. Coastal city group had the highest P85 WC values consistently from the early school ages to 18-year-old compared with other groups. In contrast, south rural group had P85 values consistently lagged behind not only the city groups but also the north rural group. Hong Kong group had a high P85 WC at early ages, but because of the smaller increments of WC during adolescence, the P85 curve was gradually exceeded by the north rural groups. Catch-up trend was found in the two rural groups since the peak of puberty. These disparities were caused by not only socioeconomic and urban-rural factors but also north-south differences. Because of the regional variation of WC, a "gradient" prevalence of central obesity was prospected among these groups. Comparisons of WC distributions between the Chinese and the U.S.A or Netherlands demonstrated the necessary of setting up China's own WC cutoffs. Sex and age-specific percentiles were obtained and smoothed by using LMS method. Conclusion The data obtained from this study could be used to develop national WC cutoff points for Chinese children and adolescents.
文摘This article addresses the important role school health education program can play in reducing youth risky behaviors that lead to incarceration, diseases and fatalities or that impact their academic performance in school. Children growing up are at risks of exposure to different behaviors and common social influences which if unchecked result in unexpected health consequences common among youth in America today. According to US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the six leading behaviors that cause death, disability, and social problems among American children are: unintentional injuries and violence, alcohol and drug use, tobacco use, unhealthy diets, inadequate physical activities, and sexual behaviors and diseases. This article shows that school health program: 1) can provide the foundation for children to learn desired healthy behaviors in order to preserve life, 2) protects the future of children and that of the nation, 3) can teach students skills to recognize risky behaviors and resist them, 4) can boost community efforts to achieve desired health behaviors, 5) closes socio-economic gaps that interfere with basic nurturing of children, and 6) finally links local stakeholders as partners in promoting community safety. Through review of literature, the authors found that it costs ($588) daily or (214,620) annually to incarcerate a juvenile and only $75 daily for the cost of individualized community-based services. The cost to New York is over $900,000, yet does not address the causative issues. The authors recommend that schools teach comprehensive school health from kindergarten to grade 12 and employ health educators to support teachers teach health promotion and education.
文摘The aim was to describe aspects of students’ knowledge of sexuality and contraception and their sexual behaviour in schools in Ségou, Mali. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Materials and Methods:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> This was a one-pass cross-sectional survey with reasoned choice at the first level and random choice at the second level over a 3-month period from January 2013 to March 2013. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The majority of the students involved in our study reside in the commune of Ségou, 90.4%. The average age of our students was 18. The female sex was the most represented in our study with 59.7%. The majority of students had casual sex at 60.3% and 70.9% irregularly. The change of sexual partner affected 47.9% of schoolchildren. Of our sexually active students, 72.6% had sexual partners and 37.4% had more than 2 partners. The main sources of information are respectively the media with 72.1% followed by teachers with 12.9% and friends with 09.7%. Among the most well-known contraceptive methods, condoms rank first with 72.6%, followed by injectable with 72.0%. 70.6% of the population had not yet used a contraceptive method at first sexual intercourse and in 72.9% of cases was condoms. The most cited source of contraceptive supply is pharmacy with 49.5% followed by family planning centres and maternity wards at 16.2% and shops at 16.2%. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: The referral of young people to approved health facilities for contraception could prevent them from risky sexual behaviours.