The sexual behavior of married Mexican immigrant men in North Carolina

In the southern United States, North Carolina has attracted an unprecedented influx of Hispanic immigrants in the 1990s. Detailed data on the sexual behavior of these recent immigrants are lacking. This exploratory study used two methods, a survey and qualitative interviews. For both methods, participants were recruited using convenience sampling. All study participants were first-generation Mexican immigrants who had lived in North Carolina for at least six consecutive months. The survey, administered face-to-face, explored the sexual attitudes and behavior of 43 married Mexican men living in North Carolina. The qualitative interviews, conducted with men (n = 20) and women (n = 19), explored immigrants' perceptions of extramarital sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The study's results suggest that the sexual behavior of 'unaccompanied' married Mexican immigrant men, living alone in North Carolina, differs, at least in degree if not in kind, from that of 'accompanied' married men, residing in the state with their wives. Unaccompanied men who participated in the survey reported more lifetime sexual partners, more partners in the previous year, more extramarital partners and more contact with prostitutes than accompanied survey respondents. The qualitative interviews suggest that unaccompanied men's peculiar status as 'single' men in North Carolina may provide them with both motive and opportunity to have extramarital sexual relationships and that few married Mexican men and women perceive STDs as relevant to their lives. Overall, the study supports the need for male- and couple-focused STD prevention interventions for Hispanic immigrants.     

Attitudes about sex and marital sexual behavior in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam

This study examines attitudes concerning sexual relations outside marriage and levels of marital sexual activity using data from married individuals from Hai Duong Province collected in 2001. Among individuals who live in urban areas, have more schooling, and were married after the late 1980s, acceptance is growing concerning intimate behavior without marital commitment and having sex with a future spouse. Schooling, urban residence, and recent marriage have stronger associations with less conservative attitudes among men than among women. Even among younger and better-educated respondents, acceptance of premarital and extramarital sex generally remains below a majority. The reported level of premarital sex is higher among men than among women, and lower than available estimates from other parts of Asia and the developing world. The reported level of sexual activity within marriage in Hai Duong Province is similar to that observed elsewhere, including Thailand and the United States. The incidence of sexual activity declines with age, and at all ages men are more likely than women to report having sex with their spouse. The implications of these gender differences in sexual attitudes and behavior are considered.     

Attitudes of the aged toward nontraditional sexual behavior

Age as a correlate of attitudes toward nontraditional sexual behavior is explored. The data were drawn from a United States national probability sample. Subgroup comparisons were made between two age cohorts — respondents over and under 65. Sexual attitudes were measured toward premarital sexual relations, extramarital sexual relations, and homosexuality. Older respondents held the most conservative sexual attitudes. However, the background variables of sex, social status, church attendance, marital status, and parenthood were predictors of sexual attitudes for both age strata. The findings indicate individual variations among the aged with the likelihood of a greater range of differences in the future.     

Prevalence of diarrhoea in the community in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States

BACKGROUND: Studies in several countries have estimated the prevalence of diarrhoea in the community. However, the use of different study designs and varying case definitions has made international comparisons difficult. METHODS: Similar cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted in Australia, Canada, Ireland (including Northern Ireland), and the United States over 12 month periods between 2000 and 2002. Each survey asked about diarrhoea in the four weeks before the interview. For this comparative analysis, uniform definitions were used. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed for 6087 respondents in Australia, 3496 in Canada, 9903 in Ireland, and 14,647 in the United States. In the four weeks prior to interview, at least one episode of diarrhoea was reported by 7.6% of respondents in Canada, 7.6% in the United States, 6.4% in Australia, and 3.4% in Ireland. The prevalence of diarrhoea was consistently higher in females. In all countries, the prevalence of diarrhoea was highest in children <5 years and lowest in persons > or =65 years of age. When diarrhoea and vomiting was considered, the prevalence was almost identical in the four studies (range: 2.0-2.6%). Despite different health care structures, a similar proportion of respondents sought medical care (approximately one in five). Antibiotic usage for the treatment of diarrhoea was reported by 8.3% of respondents in the United States, 5.6% in Ireland, 3.8% in Canada, and 3.6% in Australia. CONCLUSIONS: Diarrhoea is a common illness among persons in the community in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States. With similar methodologies and a standard case definition, age and sex patterns and health care seeking behaviour were remarkably consistent between countries.     

Cross-sectional study of sexual behaviour and knowledge about HIV among urban, rural, and minority residents in Viet Nam

OBJECTIVE: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in three districts of Quang Ninh province, Viet Nam, to find out what proportion of the people who lived there engaged in behaviour that put them at risk of becoming infected with HIV, and to measure their knowledge about HIV infection and AIDS. METHODS: The survey was conducted in a rural district, Yen Hung; a mountainous district inhabited primarily by ethnic minority groups, Binh Lieu; and an urban district, Ha Long. Participants aged 15-45 years were randomly selected from the general population to be interviewed. FINDINGS: A total of 630 people from 707 households were interviewed; 8% were not home despite repeated visits and 3% refused to participate. The prevalence of premarital intercourse ranged from 9% to 16% among married men and 4% to 7% among married women. Among single men the proportion who had ever had intercourse ranged from 6% to 16%. Fewer than 3% reported having ever had sex with a sex worker. The median number of extramarital sex partners was 1. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS was high in the urban and rural areas but low in the mountainous area. Being male and being 20-29 years old were associated with having multiple sex partners. CONCLUSION: The low prevalence of individuals reporting that they had had intercourse with sex workers and partners other than their spouse may explain the low rates of HIV infection among the heterosexual population; these rates are in contrast to the high rates of HIV infection found among injecting drug users. The association between having extramarital partners and being a younger man suggests that the tendency to have more sexual partners may increase in the future. If this happens, the potential for HIV to be spread through heterosexual sex will increase.     

The sexual behavior of US adults: results from a national survey.

OBJECTIVES. One consequence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has been to highlight the need for population-based estimates of the number of individuals engaging in sexual behaviors that place them at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This paper describes the prevalence of various sexual behaviors in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. METHODS. Data were collected as part of a household probability survey of adults (n = 2058) in the United States. Data collected on sexual behavior included sexual orientation, frequency of intercourse, condom use, and number of sexual partners. RESULTS. Nearly all respondents were sexually experienced. Of those who were currently sexually active, 13% (1% of married respondents) had had sex with more than one partner in the previous year. Of those reporting having intercourse with more than one partner in the previous year, 7% used condoms consistently and 23% used condoms consistently with their casual partners. CONCLUSIONS. A significant proportion of individuals were found to have intercourse with multiple partners without using condoms. A minority of these respondents acknowledged that their behavior may place them at risk for HIV transmission.     

Migration and HIV transmission in rural South India: an ethnographic study

There is a widespread assumption in Northern Karnataka, India that HIV transmission is due to the large volume of male seasonal labour out-migration. In order to examine this issue, an ethnographic study was conducted in one of the Northern Karnataka districts using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings indicate that migration does not seem to be a key factor affecting sexual behaviour among married men. Nearly 35% of married migrant men reported being involved in extramarital sex and 40% of unmarried migrant men were involved in premarital sex. While earlier in the epidemic there was a strong correlation between HIV infection and migration, more recently the correlation seems to be getting weaker. More innovative HIV prevention programmes which take into account the social and cultural characteristics of this region are urgently needed to curtail the rapid development of the epidemic.     

HIV risk behavior and work in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: The study assessed the prevalence of factors associated with HIV risky behaviour among employees of a Sugar Factory in Jinja District, Uganda. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 321 participants was carried out in a Sugar Factory where several workers were migrants. Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, information on socio-demographic characteristics, work factors and sexual behaviours was obtained. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent of the men and 32% of the women reported having multiple sex partners in the past year. Thirty-six percent of the respondents reported using condoms during the last casual sex. Twenty-four percent of men and 15% women reported sexually transmitted infection-related symptoms in the last one-year. Having multiple sex partners was associated with being a contract worker (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.10-3.79) and being married but not living with spouse (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.16-4.00). CONCLUSION: HIV risk behaviour among Sugar Factory workers is associated with separation from partner. HIV intervention strategies should include work related factors of this type.     

HIV / AIDS among men who have sex with men in Pakistan

1200 South Asian men from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who lived in either South Asia or the UK participated in focus group discussions conducted by the Naz Foundation to gain insight into the sociocultural dimensions of sex between men in the region. Although participants noted the lack of accessibility to women as the main reason for such behavior, the overwhelming majority of these men who have sex with men were married. Those aged 14-16 years had an average of 2 sex partners per year, while those aged 17-20 had 5, those aged 21-35 had 42, and those aged 36-45 had 35. There are many anecdotal reports of young men in South Asia who have sex with men and/or women in exchange for money or other tangible goods. By early 1997, 1232 cases of HIV infection had been reported in Pakistan, of which 88.4% were in men. These data come from the National AIDS Program, and consist largely of cases reported from 4 provinces. While the mode of HIV transmission was not recorded in 41% of cases, male-male sex was the acknowledged mode of transmission among 3.2% of HIV-positive men. Male-male sex appears to exist among married men who have extramarital sex contacts, prisoners, seafarers, IV drug users, truck drivers, and male prostitutes. In Pakistan, men who have sex with men comprise a highly vulnerable group which needs to be targeted for HIV/AIDS awareness-raising interventions.     

Stalking in the United States: recent national prevalence estimates

BACKGROUND: Stalking is a major public health concern, primarily for women, and is associated with many adverse health outcomes, including death. However, the prevalence of stalking among adults in the United States has not been assessed since 1995-1996. The objective of this analysis is to provide more recent national estimates on lifetime stalking and demographic characteristics of stalking victims. METHODS: A sample of adults aged 18 years and older living in the United States (n = 9684) participated in the second Injury Control and Risk Survey (ICARIS-2), a cross-sectional, random-digit-dial telephone survey conducted from 2001 to 2003. Analyses conducted in 2005 focused on the respondents' reports of having ever been stalked in a way that was somewhat dangerous or life-threatening. RESULTS: In the United States, 4.5% of adults reported having ever been stalked. Women had significantly higher prevalence (7%) of stalking victimization than did men (2%) (odds ratio [OR] = 3.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.77-4.90). People who were never married (OR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.03-1.99) or who were separated, widowed, or divorced (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.28-2.21) had significantly higher odds of being stalked than those who were married or had a partner. People aged 55 years or older and those who were retired were least likely to report stalking victimization. CONCLUSIONS: Comparable to previous national estimates, this study shows that stalking affects many adults. Nearly 1 in 22 adults (almost 10 million, approximately 80% of whom were women) in the United States were stalked at some time in their lives.     

德宏傣族景颇族自治州跨境婚姻人群的HCV感染的流行病学调查

  目的  了解德宏傣族景颇族自治州(简称德宏州)跨境婚姻人群HCV的感染状况以及相关因素。  方法  横断面研究。2017年5月1日―2018年6月30日通过问卷调查收集研究对象的基本信息,并抽5 ml血72 h内检测HCV抗体。  结果  共调查35 188人,其中31 948人接受了HCV抗体检测,阳性770人,阳性率2.41%,其中中国籍调查对象HCV感染率为3.42%(518/17 150),缅籍调查对象的感染率为1.50%(252/16 798)。男性HCV感染率为3.64%,高于女性的1.33%。景颇族男性的感染率高于其他民族,为7.08%。男性静脉注射吸毒者HCV感染率高达85.23%。有过非婚非商业性行为的女性HCV感染率为29.94%。多因素Logistic回归分析模型结果显示,跨境婚姻人群男性感染HCV的危险因素为:年龄≥30岁、少数民族、吸毒史、非婚性行为史以及HIV感染,女性感染HCV的危险因素为:年龄≥30岁、景颇族、吸毒史、非婚非商业性行为史和HIV感染。  结论  德宏州跨境婚姻人群HCV感染率高于一般人群,需要进一步加强吸毒人群HCV检测与丙型肝炎知识宣传和防治工作。     

Concurrent sexual partnerships among women in the United States

BACKGROUND: The marked racial disparity in sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates in the United States remains inadequately explained. One important factor may be concurrent sexual partnerships (relationships that overlap in time), which can transmit STIs more rapidly through a population than does sequential monogamy. METHODS: To determine prevalence, distribution, and correlates of U.S. women's involvement in concurrent partnerships, we analyzed sexual partnership data reported by the 10,847 women, age 15-44 years, in the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth. Overlapping sexual partnership dates were determined by computer program and visual review of the data. RESULTS: Prevalence of concurrent partnerships since January 1991 was 12% overall. Prevalence was lowest among currently married respondents (4%) and highest among those who were formerly married (22%), never married (19%), in the lowest income stratum (17%), age 18-24 years when interviewed (23%), or who first had sexual intercourse at age 12 or 13 (35%). Prevalence was 21% among blacks, 11% among whites, 8% among Hispanics, and 6% among Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Multiple logistic analysis substantially weakened the relationship between concurrency and black race (OR = 1.2; 95% CI = 1.1-1.4). CONCLUSIONS: Marital status in particular is strongly related to concurrency; thus, lower marriage rates among blacks and the associated higher concurrency of sexual partners may contribute to racial disparities in STI rates.     

Racial Differences in HPV Knowledge, HPV Vaccine Acceptability, and Related Beliefs Among Rural, Southern Women

ABSTRACT:  Context: Because cervical cancer mortality in the United States is twice as high among black women as white women and higher in rural areas, providing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to rural black adolescents is a high priority. Purpose: To identify racial differences in knowledge and attitudes about HPV, cervical cancer, and the HPV vaccine that may influence uptake of the vaccine. Methods: We interviewed women (91 black and 47 white) living in a rural area of the Southern United States in 2006. Analyses controlled for socioeconomic status, age, and recruitment location. Findings: More white respondents had heard of HPV than had black respondents (57% vs 24%, P < .001), and whites had higher HPV knowledge (42% vs 29% correct responses, P < .05). Blacks were less likely than whites to think that cervical cancer would be a serious threat to their daughters' health (75% vs 96%, P < .001). More blacks than whites thought the ideal age to receive the vaccine was 17 years or older (63% vs 40%, P < .05). Blacks reported lower intentions to vaccinate their daughters than whites (M = 4.14 vs 4.55, P < .05 in unadjusted analyses, but not statistically significant in adjusted analyses). Conclusions: Black and white respondents had different awareness, knowledge, and beliefs related to the HPV vaccine. Communication-based interventions to maximize uptake of the HPV vaccine in the rural, Southern United States may need different messages for black parents of adolescent girls .     

Nurse-midwifery practice in the United States, 1982 and 1987.

Surveys of certified nurse-midwives living in the United States were conducted on behalf of the American College of Nurse-Midwives for 1982 and 1987. Most of the respondents were providing prenatal and family planning care. The 1982 respondents conducted 1.8 percent of the deliveries that took place in the United States during 1982 and 1988 respondents conducted 2.5 percent of all 1987 United States deliveries.     

Factors Related to Pertussis and Tetanus Vaccination Status Among Foreign-Born Adults Living in the United States

Pertussis is a common vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) worldwide. Its reported incidence has increased steadily in the United States, where it is endemic. Tetanus is a rare but potentially fatal VPD. Foreign-born adults have lower tetanus–diphtheria–pertussis (Tdap) and tetanus–diphtheria (Td) vaccination coverage than do U.S.-born adults. We studied the association of migration-related, socio-demographic, and access-to-care factors with Tdap and Td vaccination among foreign-born adults living in the United States. The 2012 and 2013 National Health Interview Survey data for foreign-born respondents were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to calculate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals, and to identify variables independently associated with Tdap and Td vaccination among foreign-born adults. Tdap and Td vaccination status was available for 9316 and 12,363 individuals, respectively. Overall vaccination coverage was 9.1% for Tdap and 49.8% for Td. Younger age, higher education, having private health insurance (vs. public insurance or uninsured), having visited a doctor in the previous year, and region of residence were independently associated with Tdap and Td vaccination. Among those reporting a doctor visit, two-thirds had not received Tdap. This study provides further evidence of the need to enhance access to health care and immunization services and reduce missed opportunities for Tdap and Td vaccination for foreign-born adults in the United States. These findings apply to all foreign-born, irrespective of their birthplace, citizenship, language and years of residence in the United States. Addressing vaccination disparities among the foreign-born will help achieve national vaccination goals and protect all communities in the United States.     

Validity of self-rated health among Latino(a)s

The authors investigated whether self-rated health (SRH) had differential mortality risks for Latino(a) adults of various acculturation statuses living in the United States. They used cumulative National Health Interview Survey data from 1989 to 1994 (n = 37,713) linked with the National Health Interview Survey Multiple Cause of Death data files (1,364 deaths) that match records from the National Death Index through 1997. The authors specified survival models to estimate the effect of SRH on mortality and further stratified their model by birth and duration in the United States as proxies for acculturation. These estimates were compared across strata. Poor SRH was found to be a weaker predictor of subsequent mortality risk among the less acculturated, although the overall risk among the aggregated sample is similar to the risk reported in previous studies. The relation between poor SRH and mortality risk increases with United States acculturation among Latinos. While poor SRH was significantly associated with short-term mortality among the least acculturated, this association did not persist beyond 2-year mortality risk. Health researchers wishing to use SRH to assess the physical health of multiethnic populations should at least control for levels of acculturation among respondents.