Geographical variations in AIDS knowledge and attitude among adolescent girls of Jamaica

This article examines geographical differences in AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Data from a survey of 900 adolescent girls in the Caribbean nation of Jamaica indicate significant differences across geography in AIDS knowledge and attitude. Adolescent girls in more central areas have access to different and more sources of information than those in more remote areas. They are also more likely to know persons with AIDS, be more knowledgeable about the clinical manifestations of AIDS, and be more realistic in assessing their susceptibility of HIV. The implications of geographical differences for AIDS education efforts are discussed.(Au)

Prevalence and determinants of caesarean section in Jamaica

The prevalence and determinants of primary ceasarean section in Jamaica were estimated from a survey of women aged 14-19 years. Among 2328 women reporting 2395 live hospital births during the period January 1984 to May 1989, the prevalence of caesarean section was 4.1 percent. Repeat caesarean sections accounted for 1.3 percent of the hospital births during that period. Of the medical complications studied prolonged labour and/or cephalopelvic disproportion carried the highest risks of primary caesarean section, followed by breach presentation, maternal diabetes, a high birth-weight baby, maternal hypertension, and a low birth weight baby. The risk of primary caesarean section increased with maternal age, decreased with parity, was higher for urban than for rural residents, and was higher for births in private versus government hospitals. (AU)

Servicios de salud maternoinfantil y vacunación en Panamá y Guatemala / Maternal and child health services and vaccination in Panamá and Guatemala

En Guatemañla y Panamá se efectuaron en 1983-1984 y 1984-1985, respectivamente, dos encuestas mediante entrevistas, diseñadas para evaluar la medida en que se utilizan los servicios de salud maternoinfantil. En la encuesta panameña se obtuvieron entrevistas completas de 8 240 mujeres de 15 a 49 años de edad, mientras que en la encuesta guatemalteca se realizaron entrevistas completas a 3 670 mujeres de 15 a 44 años de edad. Estas entrevistas se realizaron principalmente para estimar la prevalencia del uso de la contracepción y para proveer datos basados en la población sobre el uso de servicios de salud maternoinfantil, entre ellos los de vacunación a todos los niveles, con objeto de medir el impacto del programa en cada país. Para los propósitos de este análisis, la muestra de la encuesta en ambos países se limitó a mujeres de 15 a 44 años de edad que estuvieran casadas en el momento de la entrevista y que hubieran dado a luz un hijo vivo dentro de los cinco años anteriores. En Panamá, un porcentaje mucho mayor que en Guatemala de mujeres casadas de 15 a 44 años informaron que utilizaban los servicios de salud maternoinfantil. En ambos países, un porcentaje relativamente alto de mujeres que residían en las zonas urbanas dijeron que hacían uso de estos servicios, mientras que las mujeres indígenas de ambos países informaron que hacían un uso relativamente escaso de ellos. Además, se encontraron asociaciones entre la utilización de dichos servicios y el grado de escolaridad de la madre, su ocupación, paridad y el lugar donde tuvo a su último hijo. Asimismo, era más probable que emplearan métodos contraceptivos las mujeres que usaban los tres tipos de servicios de salud maternoinantil que las mujeres que habían dicho que utilizaban solo alguno o ninguno de ellos. En lo que se refiere al grado de cobertura de la vacunación de niños pequeños en Panamá y Guatemala, los datos de la encuesta señalaron que el grado de vacunación era relativamente mayor en Panamá...

Tobacco use by youth: a surveillance report from the Global Youth Survey project

The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) project was developed by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track tobacco use among youth in countries across the world, using a common methodology and core questionnaire. The GYTS is school based and employs a two stage sample design to produce representative data on smoking among students aged 13-15 years. The first stage consists of a probabilistic selection of schools. All students in the selected classes are eligible for the survey. In 1999, the GYTS was conducted in 13 countries and is currently in progress in over 30 countries. This report describes data from 12 countries: Barbados, China, Costa Rica, Fiji, Jordan, Poland and the Russian Federation (Moscow), South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ukraine (Kiev), Venezuela and Zimbabwe. The findings show that tobacco use in the surveyed age group ranged from a high of 33 percent to a low of 10 percent. While the majority of current smokers wanted to stop smoking, very few were able to attend a cessation programme. In most countries the majority of young people reported seeing advertisements for cigarettes in media outlets, but anti-tobacco advertising was rare. The majority of young people being taught in school about the dangers of smoking. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure was very high in all countries. These results show that the GYTS surveillance system is enhancing the capacity of countries to design, implement, and evaluate tobacco prevention and control programmes. (AU)