Social cognitive and physical health determinants of exercise adherence for HIV-1 seropositive, early symptomatic men and women.

This study examined social cognitive and physical health factors that might explain variations in exercise adherence in a 3-month supervised exercise intervention for a group of mildly symptomatic, HIV-1 seropositive men and women. The social cognitive predictor variables were outcome expectations and self-efficacy. The physical health predictor variables included CD4+ cell counts, self-report inventories of physical symptoms, and physicians' examinations. Self-report inventories of physical symptoms were associated with physicians' examinations and combined into a composite measure of physical health. Criterion variables included exercise adherence rates, VO2max change, and status as a 'remainder' versus 'drop-out.' The composite measure of physical health emerged as a significant predictor of adherence rate and gave perfect prediction of remainers and a moderate prediction of dropouts. No significant associations were observed between the social cognitive predictors and adherence. Results suggest that for this population physical health status is a better predictor of exercise adherence than either perceived self-efficacy or outcome expectancy.

Viral gastro-enteritis in children in Malawi.

In a 2-month survey of 186 children with gastro-enteritis attending an out-patient clinic in Malawi, 42% were infected with rotavirus (HRV), 9% Cryptosporidium, 4.2% adenovirus, 1.2% Astrovirus and 0.6% Norwalk agent and small round featureless viruses. We believe this to be the first report of HRV in Malawi and the first of Astrovirus in Africa. Almost all the HRV infections were in children under 12 months old, 40% were in children under 6 months and 64% of children were being breastfed at presentation. Signs of respiratory tract infection were not unique to HRV gastro-enteritis. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of HRV dsRNA from 25 of the faecal samples revealed that each had the same long electropherotype.