Do Inattention/Hyperactivity and Motor Timing Predict Children's Virtual Road-Crossing Performance?

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this investigation was to examine how individual variation in inattention and hyperactivity is related to motor timing difficulties and whether children's performance on simple laboratory timing tasks is related to their performance on a virtual road-crossing task using a head-mounted virtual reality display system. METHODS: Participants were a community sample of 92 9- to 11-year-old children. Parents completed questionnaires assessing their child's inattention and hyperactivity. Children completed two simple motor timing tasks (duration discrimination and synchronization-continuation) and crossed roads with continuous traffic in a head-mounted VR system. RESULTS: Higher parent-reported inattention and hyperactivity predicted poorer performance in the duration discrimination and synchronization-continuation tasks, but not the virtual pedestrian road-crossing task. Children with higher tap onset asynchrony in the synchronization-continuation task had poorer timing of entry into the gap in the virtual pedestrian road-crossing task. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide further evidence that timing deficits are associated with individual differences in inattention and hyperactivity and that timing difficulties may be a risk factor for functional difficulties in everyday life.

Prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviour in Jamaican adults and its relationship to sociodemographic and religious factors: findings from the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2007-2008.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviours among Jamaican adults and evaluate associations with sociodemographic and religious factors. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study, using a nationally representative sample of Jamaicans, 15-74 years old. Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire including questions on sexual activity, sociodemographic factors and religious practice. Having two or more sexual partners in the past year, non-use of condoms among persons with multiple partners and a history of previous sexually transmitted infection (STI) were the high-risk characteristics considered in the analysis. We obtained crude and category specific prevalence estimates for high-risk behaviour and estimated odds ratios for association with sociodemographic and religious factors. RESULTS: Data from 2833 participants who reported on sexually activity were analysed. Approximately 25% (95% CI 22, 27) of Jamaican adults had two or more sexual partners in the past year while 15% (95% CI 13, 17) had a past history of an STI. Approximately 6% (95% CI 5, 7) of persons with multiple partners did not use condoms during sexual intercourse. Overall, 32% (95% CI 30, 35) had any one of the three high-risk characteristics (male, 48%; female, 17%, p < 0.001). Being married, active religious practice and weekly attendance at religious meetings were associated with lower odds of high-risk sexual behaviour while being in a visiting relationship was associated with higher odds of high-risk behaviour CONCLUSION: A third of Jamaicans reported sexual practices that increase their risk of HIV infection. High-risk sexual behaviour was more common among men. Being married and weekly attendance at religious services were associated with lower odds of high-risk behaviour