Attitudes, beliefs, and norms about sex and sexuality among young Indian male adults: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the risky sexual behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and sources of information regarding sexual health among young adult Indian males. Currently, students in Indian secondary schools do not receive a structured comprehensive sexual health education. This qualitative study explored the sources of information, knowledge, and attitudes around sexual behaviors among young men in Mysore, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May and June 2011, 23 semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews with males aged 18-25 years were conducted to explore their views on sexual norms, attitudes, and their sources of information to gain knowledge about sexual health. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Participants shared a desire for quality sex education in schools but described their current sexual health curriculum as inadequate. Since social taboos dictated the space in which students gained awareness on sexual topics, the participants resorted to the outside information from both reliable and unreliable sources. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important implications for laying the groundwork for culturally specific sexual health education interventions to meet the needs of a growing youth population in India.

Ageing-induced changes in nutritional and anti-nutritional factors in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.).

This study examined the role of seed ageing in the control of anti-nutritional factors in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). In differently aged seeds of three cultivars of V. unguiculata (V240, V78 and V585), germination ability and vigour were studied. Effort was also made to assay trypsin inhibitor, phenol and phytic acid, perform protein profiling in these seeds. High vigour lots (V240 and V585) registered maximum increases in germination of aged seeds. The contents of nutritional factors such as total protein and carbohydrate declined with decrease in seed vigour lots. Anti-nutritional factors such as phytic acid, phenolic content and trypsin inhibitor activity decreased and varied in low and high vigour seed lots. Polypeptide banding pattern significantly varied in the high, medium and low vigour seeds. Notably, proteins with the highest relative mobility of 0.98 and lowest molecular weight of 11.5 kDa and lowest relative mobility of 0.17 and highest molecular weight of 102.0 kDa were observed in all the vigour lots. Results implied the decline in vigour of V. unguiculata seeds under conditions of controlled ageing can be related to the decline in content of major nutritional factors (total carbohydrates and proteins) required for the growing embryo during seed germination. Additionally, decreases in the contents of anti-nutritional factors phytic acid and phenols, and the activity of trypsin inhibitor in particular are connected with the decrease in seed vigour irrespective of V. unguiculata cultivars. The use of short duration controlled ageing technique can, at least partially, reduce the negative effects of anti-nutritional factors, and eventually improve the nutritional quality of V. unguiculata seeds.

HIV testing among pregnant women living with HIV in India: are private healthcare providers routinely violating women's human rights?

BACKGROUND: In India, approximately 49,000 women living with HIV become pregnant and deliver each year. While the government of India has made progress increasing the availability of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services, only about one quarter of pregnant women received an HIV test in 2010, and about one-in-five that were found positive for HIV received interventions to prevent vertical transmission of HIV. METHODS: Between February 2012 to March 2013, 14 HIV-positive women who had recently delivered a baby were recruited from HIV positive women support groups, Government of India Integrated Counseling and Testing Centers, and nongovernmental organizations in Mysore and Pune, India. In-depth interviews were conducted to examine their general experiences with antenatal healthcare; specific experiences around HIV counseling and testing; and perceptions about their care and follow-up treatment. Data were analyzed thematically using the human rights framework for HIV testing adopted by the United Nations and India's National AIDS Control Organization. RESULTS: While all of the HIV-positive women in the study received HIV and PMTCT services at a government hospital or antiretroviral therapy center, almost all reported attending a private clinic or hospital at some point in their pregnancy. According to the participants, HIV testing often occurred without consent; there was little privacy; breaches of confidentiality were commonplace; and denial of medical treatment occurred routinely. Among women living with HIV in this study, violations of their human rights occurred more commonly in private rather than public healthcare settings. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need for capacity building among private healthcare providers to improve standards of practice with regard to informed consent process, HIV testing, patient confidentiality, treatment, and referral of pregnant women living with HIV.

Erratum to "Increasing Antenatal Care and HIV Testing among Rural Pregnant Women with Conditional Cash Transfers to Self-Help Groups: An Evaluation Study in Rural Mysore, India".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2013/971458.].

Increasing Antenatal Care and HIV Testing among Rural Pregnant Women with Conditional Cash Transfers to Self-Help Groups: An Evaluation Study in Rural Mysore, India.

Background. We describe a one-year evaluation study comparing SCIL intervention of mobile provision of integrated ANC/ HIV testing with an enhanced (SCIL+) intervention of community mobilization strategy providing conditional cash transfers (CCT) to women's SHG for identifying and accompanying pregnant women to mobile clinics. Methods. Twenty pairs of villages matched on population, socioeconomic status, access to medical facilities, and distance from Mysore city were divided between SCIL and SCIL+ interventions. The primary study outcome was the proportion of total pregnancies in these villages who received ANC and HIV testing. Results. Between April 2011 and March 2012, 552 pregnant women participated in SCIL or SCIL+ interventions. Among women who were pregnant at the time of intervention delivery, 181 of 418 (43.3%) women pregnant at the time of intervention delivery received ANC in the SCIL arm, while 371 of 512 (72.5%) received ANC in the SCIL+ arm (P < 0.001); 175 (97%) in the SCIL and 366 (98.6%) in the SCIL+ arm consented to HIV testing (P < 0.001). HIV prevalence of 0.6% was detected among SCIL clinic, and 0.9% among attending SCIL+ clinic attendees. Conclusion. Provision of CCT to women's microeconomic SHG appears to significantly increase uptake of ANC/HIV testing services in rural Mysore villages.