Partner Type and Young Women's Sexual Behavior: A Qualitative Inquiry.

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has increased over recent years, particularly among young women. Partner type is believed to influence women's STI risk. However, researchers often restrict partner type to "casual" versus "committed," labels that can mask risk variability. Therefore, in this study, we identified and explored a range of sexual partner types in order to understand how young women's perceived risk and condom use intentions vary by partner type. Data were obtained during six focus groups of young women (N =25) who were recruited from a community reproductive healthcare clinic. Women described a range of monogamous and non-monogamous partner types that were distinguished based on partner regularity (i.e., whether the sexual partnership was ongoing) and personal relationship (i.e., degree of involvement outside of the sexual relationship). Women's perceived STI risk was higher and condom use intentions stronger with new partners, particularly unfamiliar partners (i.e., "one-night stand," "fuck boy"). Women identified potential harm from condom negotiation with all but the "friends with benefits" partners. However, the nature of this harm differed by partner type. Clinicians and researchers should consider how to support women in advocating for safer sexual behaviors across these partner types by understanding how partner regularity, degree of personal relationship, and emotional attachment differentially impact couples' condom use decisions.

Proactive Tobacco Treatment in a Behavioral Health Home.

Tobacco use is rarely addressed in community mental healthcare despite high patient smoking prevalence. Community mental health centers have systems in place that could be used to comprehensively address tobacco use. This study tested feasibility of, satisfaction with, and safety of proactive tobacco treatment (tobacco outreach to offer connection to tobacco cessation treatment). Behavioral health home patients who smoke were randomly assigned to usual care (UC; N = 11) or proactive care (PC; N = 9). All participants were called 3-months post-randomization for follow-up. PC patients reported high satisfaction with the program and experienced no adverse events or mental health symptom exacerbation during treatment. PC patients reported greater reductions in cigarettes per day, more quit attempts, and more cessation medication utilization than UC patients. Proactive outreach for tobacco cessation is feasible in a behavioral health home, acceptable to patients, and may reduce smoking heaviness and promote quit attempts.

Alcohol Use and Sexual Risk Behavior in Young Women: A Qualitative Study.

Alcohol use and sexual behavior co-occur frequently in young women, increasing risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. To inform preventive interventions, we used qualitative methods to better understand how women think about the contribution of alcohol use to sexual risk-taking. Young women (N = 25; M = 22.8 years; 64% White) were recruited from a community-based reproductive health clinic to attend focus groups; a semi-structured agenda was used to investigate both a priori explanatory mechanisms as well as participant-driven explanations for the alcohol-sex association. Women reported that alcohol reduced their social anxiety, helped them to feel outgoing and confident, and lowered inhibitions and other barriers to sexual encounters (consistent with alcohol expectancies). During drinking events, women described being less concerned with risks, less discriminating regarding sexual partners, and less likely to insist on safer sex practices (consistent with alcohol myopia). These empirical findings support previous theory-based guidance for tailoring preventive programs for alcohol use and sexual risk reduction for young women.

Racial Disparities in Lung Cancer Screening: An Exploratory Investigation.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Black Americans have the highest rate of lung cancer mortality, due to being diagnosed at later stage. Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) facilitates earlier detection and has been associated with a reduction in cancer death. We investigated LCS utilization and explored racial disparities (Black vs. non-Black) in LCS among patients for whom LCS is clinically indicated. METHODS: Using electronic medical records from the Lifespan Medical System, we randomly selected 200 patients who were likely to meet U. S. Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF) guidelines for LCS and mailed each patient a survey to assess LCS eligibility and uptake. RESULTS: Nearly three-quarters (n = 146, 73%) completed the survey and, of survey respondents, 92% (n = 134) were eligible for the study. Among eligible patients, 35% met criteria for LCS; non-Black patients were 90% more likely to meet criteria for LCS than Black patients (44% vs. 27%). Of the patients meeting USPSTF criteria, only 21% reported being screened; eligible non-Black patients were 2.8 times more likely to have had LCS than eligible Black patients (30% vs. 12%). CONCLUSIONS: LCS utilization is low despite coverage provided through the Affordable Care Act. Black patients are less likely to qualify for screening and disproportionately less likely to be screened for lung cancer compared with non-Black patients. Targeted intervention strategies are needed to increase referral for and uptake of LCS in patients who are at high risk for developing lung cancer, and for Black patients in particular.