Understanding the contexts in which female sex workers sell sex in Kampala, Uganda: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Structural, interpersonal and individual level factors can present barriers for HIV prevention behaviour among people at high risk of HIV acquisition, including women who sell sex. In this paper we document the contexts in which women selling sex in Kampala meet and provide services to their clients. METHODS: We collected qualitative data using semi-structured interviews. Women were eligible to participate if they were 18 years or older, self-identified as sex workers or offered sex for money and spoke Luganda or English. Ten women who met clients in venues and outdoor locations were selected randomly from a clinic for women at high risk of HIV acquisition. Ten other women who met clients online were recruited using snowball sampling. Interviews included demographic data, and themes included reasons for joining and leaving sex work, work locations, nature of relationships with clients and peers, interaction with authorities, regulations on sex work, and reported stigma. We conducted interviews over three months. Data were analysed thematically using a framework analysis approach. The coding framework was based on structural factors identified from literature, but also modified inductively with themes arising from the interviews. RESULTS: Women met clients in physical and virtual spaces. Physical spaces included venues and outdoor locations, and virtual spaces were online platforms like social media applications and websites. Of the 20 women included, 12 used online platforms to meet clients. Generally, women from the clinic sample were less educated and predominantly unmarried, while those from the snowball sample had more education, had professional jobs, or were university students. Women from both samples reported experiences of stigma, violence from clients and authorities, and challenges accessing health care services due to the illegality of sex work. Even though all participants worked in settings where sex work was illegal and consequently endured harsh treatment, those from the snowball sample faced additional threats of cybersecurity attacks, extortion from clients, and high levels of violence from clients. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce risk of HIV acquisition among women who sell sex, researchers and implementers should consider these differences in contexts, challenges, and risks to design innovative interventions and programs that reach and include all women.

Exploring e-scooter riders' risky behaviour: survey, observation, and interview study.

This study explores e-scooter riders' risky behaviour and motivation based on survey, observation, and interview studies. 192 responses from an online survey showed that e-scooter riders' behaviours are categorised into errors, violations, defensive behaviour, and proactive safety behaviour. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in riding behaviour depending on riders' characteristics and usage patterns. Results from the observation and survey study showed a high frequency of risky behaviours such as not wearing a helmet, riding on the sidewalk against traffic flow, or riding while listening to music to be more representative. Interviews on motivation explained that those behaviours resulted from the trade-off riders found between risky behaviour and the benefits they gained regarding time or comfort. This study posits that the riders' behaviours are distinguished according to the riders' characteristics and usage patterns, as well as different motivational factors. Thus, various strategies should be applied to improve individuals' safety.

The study aims to explore e-scooter riders' behaviour based on riders' characteristics and usage patterns and understand the motivation behind those risky behaviours. An online survey and observation study identifies behaviour differences between riders and their frequency. The interview study analysed the motivation behind those behaviours.

Demographic and behavioural correlates of energy drink consumption.

OBJECTIVE: Energy drinks are consumed for a variety of reasons, including to boost mental alertness and energy. We assessed associations between demographic factors and various high-risky behaviours with energy drink consumption as they may be linked to adverse health events. DESIGN: We conducted cross-sectional analysis including basic descriptive and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analyses to characterise demographic and behavioural factors (including diet quality, binge drinking and illicit drug use, among others obtained via questionnaires) in relation to energy drink consumption. SETTING: We used data from two large US-based cohorts. PARTICIPANTS: 46 390 participants from Nurses' Health Study 3 (NHS3, n 37 302; ages 16-31) and Growing Up Today Study (GUTS, n 9088, ages 20-55). RESULTS: Of the 46 390 participants, 13·2 % reported consuming ≥ 1 energy drink every month. Several risky behaviours were associated with energy drink use, including illegal drug use (pooled OR, pOR: 1·45, 95 % CI: 1·16, 1·81), marijuana use (pOR: 1·49, 95 % CI: 1·28, 1·73), smoking (pOR: 1·88. 95 % CI: 1·55, 2·29), tanning bed use (pOR: 2·31, 95 % CI: 1·96, 2·72) and binge drinking (pOR: 2·53, 95 % CI: 2·09, 3·07). Other factors, such as high BMI, e-cigarette use and poor diet quality were found to be significantly associated with higher energy drink consumption (P values < 0·001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that energy drink consumption and high-risk behaviours may be related, which could potentially serve as not only as a talking point for providers to address in outreach and communications with patients, but also a warning sign for medical and other health practitioners.

Higher Trait Levels of Guilt may Protect Against Gambling, Whereas Higher State Levels Lead to Riskier Behaviour.

Research on the role of affect in problem gambling remains scarce to date, although it has been proposed that trait-levels of negative self-conscious emotions (SCEs) could be potential risk factors. We report two studies investigating the relationship between negative SCEs, gambling, and risky behavior. In the first study, we investigated shame, guilt and self-disgust in a group of problem-gamblers and control non-gamblers. In the second study, we investigated if experimentally manipulating state levels of guilt, using a narration-induction paradigm, in students with different levels of gambling behavior, would influence their behavior in the Balloon Analog Risk Task. We found that problem gamblers had significantly lower trait-levels of guilt when we adjusted for the influence of depression and anxiety symptoms (p = .008). Problem gamblers also exhibited lower levels of shame, but this difference seemed to be driven by guilt. Lower levels of guilt were significantly associated with higher levels of trait impulsivity (p = .004). In the second study, gamblers had higher state levels of guilt than non-gamblers at the outset, and the narration paradigm successfully induced guilt (p = .001). After the guilt induction, the group of gamblers had significantly less risky behaviour (lower number of pumps) than the group of non-gamblers (p = .021). However, this was primarily driven by an increase in risky behaviour in the non-gamblers (p = .006). Thus, overall our findings suggest that higher trait levels of guilt may act as a protective factor for gambling, whereas high state levels of guilt lead to riskier behaviour but only in people who are not gamblers.

Measuring the association between fathers' involvement and risky behaviours in adolescence.

Understanding the drivers of adolescent risky behaviour is important given the costs that such behaviours impose on society and young people themselves. Evidence shows that early parent-child relations shape children's development and behaviour, however we know relatively little about the potential causal pathways that lead to risky behaviour and the differential impact of fathers' and mothers' childcare involvement. This study tests whether paternal involvement in childcare at age 11 is associated with adolescent risky behaviour at age 14. Accounting for likely mediators, we run a Structural Equation model on three sweeps (2008-2015) of the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Results show significant associations between father's involvement and reduction in adolescent risky behaviour. Father's involvement and father-adolescent closeness are shown to be stronger predictors of risky behaviours relative to mother's involvement and mother-adolescent closeness. This has implications for delinquency prevention programs that should be (re)designed to encourage healthy father-child bonds in adolescence.

The relationship between executive function, risky behaviour and HIV in young women from the HPTN 068 study in rural South Africa.

Executive function (EF) may predict sexual risk-taking and HIV risk in young women in rural South Africa. We tested associations between EF and seven risky behavioural outcomes: binge drinking, illicit substance use, unprotected vaginal sex, concurrent sexual relationships, transactional sex, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, and HIV infection. We compared EF in young women with HIV to matched controls. 1080 young women underwent cognitive assessments. Better verbal short-term memory was associated with a lower risk of HSV-2 (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.69, 0.86; p < 0.001). Uncorrected trends (p < 0.05) were better verbal working memory being associated with a lower risk of concurrency, better planning with a lower risk of illicit drug use, and better affective inhibition with a lower risk of transactional sex. 78 participants with sexually acquired HIV were matched with 153 HIV-negative controls and had poorer verbal working memory than controls (Hedge's g = -0.38; 95% CI -0.66, -0.10; p = 0.0076), but this was non-significant after adjustment. EF's contribution to young women's risky behaviour in this context does not hold when stringent statistical corrections are applied, with only verbal short term memory reaching statistical significance as predictor. Replication in other samples is recommended.

Occupational choices of school-going adolescents: a study in the Pitseng Area, Leribe District, Lesotho.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescents require opportunities to engage in occupations and need to have the requisite aptitude and agency to choose the occupations they want or need to engage in. Occupations are defined as the everyday activities that people choose to engage in individually or as groups that bring meaning and purpose to their lives. These occupations can be chosen or enforced. There is a paucity of literature around the occupations that adolescents in rural contexts choose and the meaning underlying their choices. This study explored the occupations of school-going adolescents of Pitseng, Lesotho, to gain insight into adolescent behaviour, and the strategies needed to develop sustainable health promotion programs for adolescents in this area. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative research design was used. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 47 adolescents aged between 13 and 15 years from three high schools in Pitseng, Leribe district, Lesotho. Data was collected using focus group interviews after consent was obtained from the parents or caregivers and assent from the adolescents. Data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's method. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged from the study: realities of customary rural life, facilitators of occupational engagement, and wellbeing versus risky behaviour. Participation in daily routine occupations, cultural norming, resource scarcity, school milieu and leisure engagement were subthemes derived under the first theme. The subthemes identified under the theme facilitators of occupational engagement were intrinsic motivation, and vicarious modelling and peer support. The third theme encompassed the conceptualisation of wellbeing and risky behaviour as subthemes. The adolescents were found to engage in risky behaviour to escape the monotony in their daily lives. This could be attributed to them having fewer choices for recreational activities during their free time. Some adolescents were able to improvise and attempted to enjoy their lives with fewer occupational choices. The natural environment, coupled with creativity, facilitated the engagement of adolescents in fun activities. CONCLUSION: The dominant influences relating to the adolescents' occupational choices and participation in activities were the impoverished rural context and the traditional inherited practices. The protracted timeframes for completing basic activities and household responsibilities and the scarcity of resources for leisure led to a restricted range of leisure activities. The traditional cultural context influenced gender-based differences in the manifestation of occupations. Despite the challenges, the adolescents showed resilience, creativity and a strong desire to improve their futures. Moreover, in this culturally steeped environment, the school and the community chief may be the two best entry points for organisations planning to facilitate health promotion programs. They are recognised and sanctioned power bases in rural communities. Recommendations for education, leisure, health promotion and further study were made for Pitseng.

Effects of mobile health on HIV risk reduction for men who have sex with men.

Mobile health (M-Health) has become a novel method for HIV prevention and the effects need to be promoted. The study purpose was to exam how a smartphone application (app) reduces HIV risky behaviour in men who have sex with men (MSM). The Safe Behaviour and Screening (SBS) app was developed, and included five features: record, output, and resources connection; information provision; testing services; interaction; and online statistics. A random assignment was used. The experimental group used the SBS app for six months. The control group did not use any intervention. There were 130 participants in the experimental group, and 135 in the control group. The average age of all subjects was 27.38 (SD = 5.56). Compared to the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher mean score of safe behaviour knowledge, motivation, and skills; percentage of condom use during anal intercourse; frequency of searching for testing resources and getting HIV and syphilis tests. The frequency of anal intercourse and recreational drug usage were significantly lower in the experimental group. The SBS app could decrease the HIV risky behaviour among MSM and be applied to HIV prevention and nursing intervention.

Has the Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Risky Behaviour Changed in Australia? An Exploratory Study.

AIMS: Recent studies have pointed to diverging trends between alcohol consumption and harm rates. One explanation for these trends is the normalization hypothesis, which suggests that declines in alcohol consumption will result in more risky behaviour by the remaining drinkers as consumption becomes a more deviant behaviour. We examine how the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky behaviour has changed in Australia over a fourteen-year period. METHODS: Risky behaviour and alcohol consumption were obtained from six waves (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016) of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS). 115,115 respondents aged over 14 were included in this study. Poisson regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between risky behaviour and two measures of alcohol consumption (average volume per day and risky drinking occasions per month) over six NDSHS waves. Interaction terms between year and the drinking variables were included in each model to identify shifts in this relationship between consumption and harm. RESULTS: Respondents with greater alcohol consumption were more likely to report risky behaviour (IRR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.13-1.16). Risky behaviour generally declined over time however older participants reported more risky behaviour over time. Generally, the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky behaviour has remained stable, with some very minor upward shifts for young drinkers (aged 14-29; highest IRR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.04). CONCLUSIONS: We found little support for the normalization hypothesis-risky behaviour tends to shift consistently along with drinking levels. Results suggest that recent reductions in alcohol consumption should lead to reductions in rates of harm.

Traffic Violations among Young People with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Evidence whether individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for traffic violations/collisions is mixed. This study investigated the association between ADHD and traffic violations among youth and young adults; examined whether this association differed by age, sex, or comorbid mental or physical problems; and modelled factors associated with traffic violations among individuals with ADHD. METHODS: Data come from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS-MH), a cross-sectional epidemiological study. The sample was restricted to youth and young adults aged 15 to 39 years and categorized into 3 groups: 15 to 19 years (n = 1886), 20 to 29 years (n = 3679), and 30 to 39 years (n = 3659). Lifetime ADHD and past-year contact with police for traffic violations were self-reported. Logistic regression models quantified the association between ADHD and traffic violations, stratified by age. Interactions were included to examine moderating effects. RESULTS: No evidence suggested an association between ADHD and past-year traffic violations (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.64 to 1.79), age-specific estimates did not differ across age groups (P = 0.696), and no factors moderated the association. Three factors were found to increase odds for past-year traffic violations among individuals with ADHD: aged 20 to 29 years (OR, 3.84; 95% CI, 1.47 to 10.06), male sex (OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.39 to 8.59), and white ethnicity (OR, 5.62; 95% CI, 1.24 to 25.51). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with ADHD are not an at-risk group for traffic violations but instead share similar risk factors with individuals in the general population without ADHD-information useful for health professionals. Replication studies are needed to examine the robustness of these findings.

The effectiveness of combined alcohol and sexual risk taking reduction interventions on the sexual behaviour of teenagers and young adults: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review to summarise currently implemented interventions, investigating their effectiveness in reducing alcohol use and sexual risk taking behaviour in teenagers and young adults. STUDY DESIGN: This is a systematic review. METHODS: Studies published in English language with both alcohol and sexual risky behaviour reduction interventions were searched using five electronic database platforms. All review tasks such as study screening, selection, data extraction, quality rating and synthesis were performed in accordance with systematic review guidelines. RESULTS: The review included 18 studies. Fifteen studies were randomised control trials (RCTs), whereas three were interventional studies having pre-intervention and postintervention analysis. Overall study duration ranged from 6 months to 24 months. The retention rate decreased with an increase in study duration and ranged from 60% to 80% for majority of studies, whereas some studies particularly planned for a shorter period had a higher retention rate (≥90%). The study site showed a range of patterns (in schools/college = 5, at family level/home environment = 3, web based = 2, sexual health clinics = 2, mental health clinics = 1, community level = 1 and juvenile detention facility = 4). The study quality assessment showed that most studies were of medium to high quality. Evidence from this systematic review suggests that after interventions, young people are less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour and choose harmful alcohol drinking. The major factors influencing individuals during adolescence and early adulthood include local cultural norms, acceptability of casual sex and binge drinking trends in the teenage and young communities. It was also observed that study setting and target population determine the type of intervention required and impacts on outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests that interventions to reduce risky sexual behaviour and alcohol consumption work in teenagers and young adults. However, selection of appropriate intervention type/design, delivery methods and follow-up plans are key elements to ensure both uptake and success of such intervention projects.

Cognitive functioning, subjective memory complaints and risky behaviour predict minor home injuries in elderly.

INTRODUCTION: Home accidents are one of the major causes of death, particularly in older people, young children and women. AIMS: The first aim of this study was to explore the role of subjective memory complaints, cognitive functioning and risky behaviour as predictors of home injuries occurred in a year in a sample of healthy Italian older adults. The second aim was to investigate the role of risky behaviour as a mediator in the relationship between subjective and objective cognitive functioning and home injuries. METHODS: One hundred thirty-three community-dwelling older people from southern Italy were administered a battery of tests to evaluate cognitive functioning, subjective memory complaints, and risky behaviour during home activities. Risky behaviour was evaluated using the Domestic Behaviour Questionnaire, created specifically for this purpose. The number of home injuries was recorded for a year throughout monthly telephone interviews. A path analysis was performed to test the following model: cognitive functioning and subjective memory complaints directly influence risky behaviour and number of accidents over a year; risky behaviour mediates the impact of cognitive functioning and subjective memory on number of accidents over a year. RESULTS: Path analysis confirmed the model tested except the role of risky behaviour as a mediator between cognitive functioning and home accidents. DISCUSSION: Risky behaviour could represent a further risk factor in cognitively intact older adults with subjective memory complaints. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of both cognition and behaviour in elderly can make a valuable contribution in preventing home accidents in elderly.

Risky behaviours and their correlates among adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents living with HIV (ALWHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa encounter multiple health problems that are often unrecognised by the public and the healthcare workforce. The aim of this systematic review was to identify risky health behaviours and their associated factors among ALWHIV in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: We systematically searched for articles in Medline, SCOPUS, Directory of Open Access Journals, Science Direct, ProQuest, Psych-info, Web of science, WHO Global Index Medicus library, Cochrane, and Google Scholar. Studies were included in this review if: they were original studies; participants were aged from 10 to 19 years; participants were ALWHIV or they had data from different key informants focusing on ALWHIV within the age group; they had health behaviours as an outcome; they were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and were published before December 2016. Data were extracted and the quality of the studies was appraised using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). RESULTS: Thirty-six studies met the eligibility criteria. Nineteen studies scored 100% (indicating high quality), sixteen studies scored 75% (indicating moderate quality) and one study scored 50% (indicating low quality) on the MMAT scale. Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among ALWHIV was suboptimal and was negatively affected by forgetfulness, opportunistic infection, long distance to clinics, and fear of unplanned disclosure. Many adolescents were sexually active, but the majority did not disclose their HIV status to sexual partners, despite knowing their diagnosis (range 76-100% across available studies) and some did not use protection (condoms) to prevent transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (range 35-55%). Disclosure to and from adolescents was low across the studies and was associated with fear of disclosure aftermaths including stigma and discrimination (range 40-57%). CONCLUSION: A considerable proportion of ALWHIV in sub-Saharan Africa engage in multiple risky health behaviours, which have a substantial negative impact on their wellbeing and cause significant risk and burden to their families, sexual partners and societies.

Gender and other risk factors associated with risky behaviours among Nigerian adolescents.

Risky behaviours in adolescents, apart from substance use, and their associate factors, have not been thoroughly investigated in Nigeria. Hence, there is a need to study the prevalence of risky behaviours and their relationship with gender and other potential risk factors. Data comprising socio-demographic, risky behaviours, personality traits, religious orientation and substance use were obtained from 300 randomly selected secondary school students. Two risk groups (low and high) based on the number of risky behaviours were determined. Male was a risk factor for theft (OR = 2.1; 95%CI = 1.17-3.95), bullying (OR = 2.76; 95%CI = 1.37-5.56) and fighting (OR = 2.14; 95%CI = 1.35-3.40). Fifty-two (17.3%) of the students were of high-risk behaviour group. Furthermore, private school (ß = 1.05; P = 0.010), poor perceived relationship with teachers (ß = 1.21; P = 0.002), polygamy (ß = 1.20; P = 0.002) and lifetime cigarette use (ß = 1.07; P = 0.027) were predictors of high-risk behaviour group. Substantial proportion of adolescents in Nigeria exhibit risky behaviours of which gender and other factors play a significant role.

Willingness to pay for other individuals' healthcare expenditures.

OBJECTIVES: The need to improve the sustainability of public health expenditure, in a climate of growing pressure on national budgets, inevitably leads to a discussion about resource rationing, and the extent of society's responsibility for those expenditures. To contribute to this discussion empirically, this study evaluated the willingness of Portuguese respondents to pay for other individuals' healthcare expenditures through out-of-pocket payments. STUDY DESIGN: A questionnaire addressed to the general public was developed, with 296 respondents. The survey was divided into three sections: (i) sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents; (ii) health-related habits; and (iii) willingness to pay other individuals' healthcare expenditures and, if so, how much. METHODS: Logit and ordered logit models were applied. RESULTS: Respondents were divided fairly even between those who were willing to pay for other individuals' healthcare expenditures and those who were not. Respondents with health insurance contracts were more willing to contribute, and the contribution value was higher. Having a degree-level education was associated with reduced willingness to pay for other individuals' healthcare expenditures, and reduced probability of paying a larger amount, which may be associated with holding individuals accountable for their choices. Considering self-reported risky behaviours, the respondents who consumed alcohol were more likely to be willing to pay for other individuals' healthcare expenditures, and to a greater extent, whereas smokers were less likely to pay larger amounts. These effects suggest that respondents with different unhealthy behaviours are not equally altruistic. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need to combine health policy and social beliefs. The respondents seem to be interested to discuss healthcare funding, given that they agreed to reveal their willingness to pay for other individuals' healthcare expenditures. Moreover, respondents' sociodemographic characteristics and health-related behaviours play a role in their willingness to contribute to social well-being through healthcare expenditures. The differences observed denote that no agreement exists regarding the extent of society's responsibility.

Health and sexual behaviour among exchange students.

AIM: The objective was to describe the exchange students' health and sexual behaviour associated with their exchange studies, and examine the extent to which they had received preventive efforts against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infection (STI) and safer sex before departure. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on a web survey with questions about sexual behaviour, self-esteem and psychological well-being. Data were analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics. RESULTS: A total of 136 outgoing exchange students from a Swedish University participated. Most of the exchange students rated their health as good, had psychological well-being and rated their self-esteem as being high. Approximately half of the exchange students had sex with a new partner during the exchange semester, and 87% of them had sexually risky behaviour. More than half (61%) of the exchange students had received preventive efforts before departure. No statistically significant difference regarding preventive information was found between those who reported sexually risky behaviour and those who did not. The group that had sexually risky behaviour desired free condoms and access to clinics for sexual health. CONCLUSIONS: Exchange students rated their health as good, and the majority of them participated in information sessions that addressed preventive efforts on HIV/STI and safer sex before departure. Sexually risky behaviour during exchange studies was reported and highlights the need for more effective preventive measures; for example, a recollection of reading STI information.

Job characteristics, well-being and risky behaviour amongst pharmacists.

Healthcare practitioners' fitness to practise has often been linked to their personal and demographic characteristics. It is possible that situational factors, such as the work environment and physical or psychological well-being, also have an influence on an individual's fitness to practise. However, it is unclear how these factors might be linked to behaviours that risk compromising fitness to practise. The aim of this study was to examine the association between job characteristics, well-being and behaviour reflecting risky practice amongst a sample of registered pharmacists in a region of the United Kingdom. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional self-report survey of 517 pharmacists. These data were subjected to principal component analysis and path analysis, with job characteristics (demand, autonomy and feedback) and well-being (distress and perceived competence) as the predictors and behaviour as the outcome variable. Two aspects of behaviour were found: Overloading (taking on more work than one can comfortably manage) and risk taking (working at or beyond boundaries of safe practice). Separate path models including either job characteristics or well-being as independent variables provided a good fit to the data-set. Of the job characteristics, demand had the strongest association with behaviour, while the association between well-being and risky behaviour differed according to the aspect of behaviour being assessed. The findings suggest that, in general terms, situational factors should be considered alongside personal factors when assessing, judging or remediating fitness to practise. They also suggest the presence of different facets to the relationship between job characteristics, well-being and risky behaviour amongst pharmacists.

Determinants of Condom Use among Selected Migrant Commercial Farm Workers in South Africa.

Previous studies have shown that HIV prevalence rates are relatively high while condom use is low in migrant communities in South Africa. Using data from the Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Survey implemented by the International Organisation for Migration in 2010 among farm workers, this study seeks to investigate factors associated with condom use among migrant men and women in selected commercial farms in two provinces of South Africa. The study analysed 943 sexually active non-South Africans working in selected farms. Data analysis was undertaken at univariate, bivariate and multivariate levels using logistic regression producing odds ratios to examine the associations at 5% level of significance. The results showed that access to free condoms, financial stability and staying away from spouse increased the odds of condom use among migrant farm workers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Amongst men being financially stable and having access to free condoms significantly increased the odds of using condoms. Amongst women being married reduced the odds of using condoms while access to free condoms and living away from spouse significantly increased condom use. Determinants of condom use vary between male and female migrants. HIV prevention policies and programmes targeting migrant farm workers should be gender sensitive.

Sexual debut before the age of 14 leads to poorer psychosocial health and risky behaviour in later life.

AIM: This study investigated the relationship between sexual debut before 14 years of age and socio-demographics, sexual experience, health, experience of child abuse and behaviour at 18 years of age. METHODS: A sample of 3432 Swedish high school seniors completed a survey about sexuality, health and abuse at the age of 18. RESULTS: Early debut was positively correlated with risky behaviours, such as the number of partners, experience of oral and anal sex, health behaviours, such as smoking, drug and alcohol use, and antisocial behaviour, such as being violent, lying, stealing and running away from home. Girls with an early sexual debut had significantly more experience of sexual abuse. Boys with an early sexual debut were more likely to have a weak sense of coherence, low self-esteem and poor mental health, together with experience of sexual abuse, selling sex and physical abuse. A multiple logistic regression model showed that a number of antisocial acts and health behaviours remained significant, but early sexual debut did not increase the risk of psychiatric symptoms, low self-esteem or low sense of coherence at 18 years of age. CONCLUSION: Early sexual debut was associated with problematic behaviours during later adolescence, and this vulnerability requires attention from parents and healthcare providers.

Problematic Internet use is associated with substance use in young adolescents.

AIM: This study examined whether problematic Internet use was associated with substance use among young adolescents and assessed whether this association accounted for the use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other drugs. METHODS: Using the Internet Addiction Test, we divided a representative sample of 3067 adolescents in Switzerland (mean age 14 years) into regular and problematic Internet users. We performed a bivariate analysis and two logistic regression models, to analyse substances separately and simultaneously, and developed a log-linear model to define the associations between significant variables. RESULTS: Problematic Internet users were more likely to be female, to use substances, to come from nonintact families, to report poor emotional well-being and to be below average students. The first model showed significant associations between problematic users and each substance, with adjusted odds ratios of 2.05 for tobacco, 1.72 for alcohol, 1.94 for cannabis and 2.73 for other drugs. Only smoking remained significant in the second model, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.71. CONCLUSION: Problematic Internet use is associated with other risky behaviours and may be an important early predictor of adolescent substance use. Therefore, it should be included in the psychosocial screening of adolescents.