Background. The study explored associations between factors derived from the application of the Theory of Gender and Power (TGP) as they relate to HIV-risk behaviour among Middle Eastern/Arab-Canadians. This area deserves increased attention, as the proportion of HIV incident cases among Canadian women—due to heterosexual transmission—is increasing. Methods. A web-based survey was administered to Middle Eastern/Arab-Canadians who were aged 18-35 years, of Middle Eastern and/or Arab descent, living in Canada, heterosexual, and in a relationship. Multivariate regression analyses were used to assess factors associated with condom-use risk and lifetime number of sexual partners. Analyses were stratified by gender. Results. The study sample consisted of 157 participants, with more female participants (65.38%), and a mean age of 22.71 years. Females were more likely to have an older partner and more likely to be virgins, compared to males. Only a third (27.45%) of sexually active participants in this sample reported using condoms every time they have sex and participants reported a mean of 4.31 lifetime sexual partners. Factors associated with both condom-use risk and lifetime number of sexual partners varied greatly between genders. Among females, having low self efficacy towards practicing safer sex was predictive of condom-use risk. Among males, not being worried about getting HIV was predictive of condom-use risk. Thinking they knew how to use condoms was predictive of having more sexual partners among females, while being low acculturated from Middle Eastern culture was predictive of more partners among males. Conclusions. Factors associated with HIV risk varied greatly between genders among this sample and may contribute to power imbalances within relationships. The application of the TGP to this sample was moderately successful in predicting number of sexual partners among females and condom-use risk among males. However, it was not as successful in predicting condom-use risk among females and number of sexual partners among males. Many factors associated with HIV risk have been identified in this study, and should be used to create interventions designed to increase equality within Middle Eastern/Arab-Canadian relationships. However, many issues are discussed that still need to be addressed in future research.

The purpose of this research study was to test the effects of an education/behavioral intervention on knowledge, perceived risk, and self-efficacy for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention in women. Additionally, the instruments that measured knowledge of sexually transmitted infections and perceived risk were tested for reliability. Instruments used to test the effects of the intervention at pretest and following the intervention included the Sexually Transmitted Infection Knowledge Survey (Johnson-Mallard, 2002); the Perceived Risk for Sexually Transmitted Infection Survey (Johnson-Mallard, 2002); and the Sexual Self-Efficacy Survey (Heather and Pinkerton, 1998). Participants included 89-women seeking family planning services, sexually transmitted infection services or prenatal care at three county health units. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 47) or control (n = 42) group. The treatment group received the theory based STI education/behavioral intervention. A logic model and Banduras Social Cognitive Theory were used to test the effects of an education/behavioral intervention on decreasing individual exposure to sexually transmitted infections by increasing individual knowledge, perceived risk, and self-efficacy. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance. Significantly differences from pretest to posttest was obtained between the experimental and control group on knowledge of STIs F (1, 87) = 73.66, p [less than] .001. Test results for the effect of the education/behavioral intervention on sexual self-efficacy resulted in significance difference between groups at posttest on refusing sexual intercourse F (1, 87) = 50.18, p [less than] .001; questioning potential sex partners F (1, 87) = 15.48, p [less than] .001; and condom use F (1, 87) = 19.60 p [less than] .001; indicating the brief (30-minute) education/behavioral intervention had an effect on the experimental group. However, posttest on STI perceived risk for women receiving the education/behavioral intervention did not approach significance F (1, 87) = .02 p [less than] .901 indicating the education/behavioral intervention did not have a statistically significant effect on the experimental group. The findings of the study indicate the importance of healthcare providers reinforcing STI information during clinical encounters with women.

Any form of sexual interaction contains risk, for example the risk of pregnancy and/or STI transmission. There are a range of measures that can be used to prevent the above mentioned risks, namely contraceptive practices. However, condom use is the best method to prevent all risks related to sex. Although South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV (Shisana et al., 2009), it has been found that the HIV prevalence is low amongst students in comparison to nationwide statistics (HEAIDS, 2010). Additionally condom use amongst students at last sex is reportedly high (HEAIDS, 2010). However there are many reasons why students in particular do not engage in protective sexual practices such as condom use. The question that guided this research study was what motivates students to engage or not engage in condom use? The study explored dynamics of condom use amongst heterosexual students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg. This qualitative study used Hollway (1984) and Willig’s (1995) discourses to examine the ways in which men and women relate to each other in engaging in sex, relationships and protective sexual practices. Information was gathered using two focus groups (one female and one male group) and five individual interviews. Students saw the risks related to pregnancy and HIV differently which impacted on their preferred method of contraceptive use and the ways in which they viewed condom use. Students seem to draw on Hollway’s (1984) “male sexual drive discourse” and “have/hold discourse”, and Willig’s (1995) “marital discourse”, to position themselves with regards to each other and their sexual activities. This suggests a need to redirect health promotion strategies.

No description available.

The overall aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of knowledge, attitudes, consent, and decision-making regarding Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, seen from the perspectives of concerned parties – high school students, school nurses, and parents. Two quantitative studies were performed: one descriptive cross-sectional study and one quasi-experimental intervention study. Qualitative studies using focus group interviews and individual interviews were also performed. High school students’ knowledge about HPV and HPV prevention was low but their attitudes toward HPV vaccination were positive. An educational intervention significantly increased the students’ knowledge regarding HPV and HPV prevention. Their already positive attitudes toward condom use and HPV vaccination remained unchanged. The students wanted to receive more information about HPV from school nurses. The school nurses were also positive to HPV vaccination but identified many challenges concerning e.g. priorities, obtaining informed consent, culture, and gender. They saw an ethical dilemma in conflicting values such as the child’s right to self-determination, the parents’ right to make autonomous choices on behalf of their children, and the nurse’s obligation to promote health. They were also unsure of how, what, and to whom information about HPV should be given. Parents, who had consented to vaccination of their young daughters, reasoned as follows: A vaccine recommended by the authorities is likely to be safe and effective, and the parents were willing to do what they could to decrease the risk of a serious disease for their daughter. Fear of unknown adverse events was overweighed by the benefits of vaccination. Parents also saw the school nurse as an important source of HPV information. Conclusions: Positive attitudes toward HPV vaccination despite limited knowledge about HPV, are overarching themes in this thesis. School nurses have a crucial role to inform about HPV prevention. It is important that the concerned parties are adequately informed about HPV and its preventive methods, so that they can make an informed decision about vaccination. A short school-based intervention can increase knowledge about HPV among students. From a public health perspective, high vaccination coverage is important as it can lead to a reduced number of HPV-related disease cases.

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> <p align="left">In this study, the two most dominant sexual discourses were the male sexual drive discourse and the have/hold discourse. These discourses, together with traditional gender constructions, made condom negotiation difficult for women. Nevertheless, the discourses and constructions were also resisted and challenged. This study was limited by its focus on heterosexual women and the negotiation of condom use. Future studies which explore alternate forms of safe sex, sexual orientation and allow men&rsquo / s experiences to emerge would provide greater insight.</p> </font></font></p>

<p>Background: In Namibia, studies showed that HIV/AIDS affects youth, especially the under 24 years age group. At the same time the pregnancy rate is also high by age 19. Interestingly, in&nbsp / Andara district several reports from staff working in the reproductive services have indicated that adolescent girls, who would seem to be taking responsibility in one sphere of their sexual lives&nbsp / by protecting themselves against unwanted pregnancy, were however not using condoms to protect themselves from HIV infection. Study Aim and Objectives: To describe the knowledge, attitude and behaviour related to HIV/AIDS amongst female adolescents who are accessing the primary health care (PHC) services for contraception. Specific objectives were to describe the&nbsp / knowledge of female adolescents who are accessing the PHC services for contraception about the modes of transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, to assess their attitude with regards to&nbsp / condom use, abstinence and being faithful to one uninfected partner, also to determine the significance of association between age and knowledge, attitudes and behaviour, between their&nbsp / education level and knowledge, attitudes and behaviour and the significance of association between knowledge of HIV prevention strategies and&nbsp / behaviour of female adolescents accessing&nbsp / &nbsp / PHC services for contraception in the district. Setting: The study was conducted in Andara district, North East of Namibia. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional KAB study. Sample: All female&nbsp / adolescents who are accessing PHC services for contraception selected from multistage simple random sampling in 5 facilities and systematic sampling at facility level in Andara. All married&nbsp / women within this age range were excluded in the study. Data collection tool: An interviewer-administered standardised questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data analysis and&nbsp / Interpretations: Epi Info software 2002 was used for data analysis. The results were presented using descriptive statistics including means, 95% confidence intervals and percentages and&nbsp / this information was shown in tables, bar and pie charts. Cross-tabulations of knowledge, attitude and behaviour scores against demographic variables were performed. P-values &lt / 0.05 were&nbsp / &nbsp / considered statistically significant. Results: 76.5% knew that unprotected sexual intercourse was the main way of getting HIV/AIDS, 77.3% knew that people could protect themselves by&nbsp / abstaining from sexual intercourse and 64.5% knew that people could protect themselves by having one uninfected faithful sexual partner. Out of 192 respondents who stated that unprotected&nbsp / sexual intercourse was the main way of HIV/AIDS transmission, 25.5% used condom every time they had sexual intercourse, 10.9% used condom almost every time they had sex, 41.1% used&nbsp / condom sometimes and 22.4% never used condom. Older girls and those who were in higher grades at school had more knowledge that could protect them from HIV infection. Later sexual&nbsp / debut is associated with increased&nbsp / condom usage at sexual debut. Conclusions: The general HIV knowledge of respondents and their knowledge of how to&nbsp / protect themselves from HIV infection were disappointing given that this&nbsp / study was conducted in health facilities. In this study we also see that knowledge does not always translate into the appropriate behaviour. The health services need to evaluate the targeting and&nbsp / effectiveness of their HIV educational messages and develop skills that will support behaviour change.&nbsp / </p>

The current study examined the capacity of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Prototype/Willingness model (P/W model) to predict intention to have unsafe sex with new and regular partners as well as frequency of unsafe sex in a sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) sample. The study also examined aspects of the sexual situation immediately prior to or during unsafe sexual intercourse (such as substance use, venue and emotional state) to determine whether there were any significant correlations and group differences. One hundred and fifty-eight male participants between the ages of 18-26 who have had sex with another male in the last nine months completed an online survey of sexual habits, TPB and P/W model variables. With the exception of prototypes, the results showed significant group difference in terms of TPB and P/W model variables between risk groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between models in predictive capacity in terms of either intention or frequency of unsafe sex. The results of the study suggested participants were generally only having unsafe sex with regular partners, that in older samples it may be more parsimonious to use the TPB than P/W model and that it is important to measure TPB variables in terms of both new and regular partners for increased accuracy and greater applicability in terms of HIV/STI interventions.

This study examined contextual influences on the relationship between peer norms for condom use and risky sexual behavior among African-American men who have sex with men. Analyses assessed the moderating effects of socio-demographic, socio-contextual, and health-related variables. One thousand forty African-American men, who have sex with men, ages 17 to 25 years, were surveyed as part of the Community Intervention Trial for Youth (CITY) from 1999 to 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia. Findings supported the hypothesis that participants who engaged in unprotected insertive anal intercourse, socio-contextual variables moderated the relationship between peer norms and risky sexual behavior. Findings also supported the hypothesis that participants who engaged in unprotected receptive anal intercourse, both socio-demographic variables and a health variable moderated the relationship between peer norms and risky sexual behavior. Findings have implications for intervention, policy, and research, including a need for interventions that recognize the contexts of influence that shape African-American MSM sexual behavior and that support norms for consistent condom use in both steady and casual sexual relationships.

Unprotected heterosexual intercourse is the major cause of the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS); however people still engage in unsafe sexual practices. Much research has therefore focused on preventive approaches and barrier methods to combat HIV and AIDS. Global HIV and AIDS statistics show that women are worst affected, leading researchers and non-governmental organizations to design interventions and programs to prevent HIV infection among women. Female condoms, also known as femidom, are effective and safe in preventing HIV if used consistently. The cost of the first generation female condom, FC1 led to slow uptake, resulting in the production of the more cost-effective second generation female condom, FC2. However, studies show that the FC2 is underutilized for a number of reasons beyond cost, including availability, reduced sexual pleasure, gender inequality and culture. There is a paucity of literature on perceptions of the female condom (Callender, 2012). This study sought to address this gap by accessing perceptions of the female condom among students on the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)’s Howard College campus. This research study adopted an interpretive paradigm and employed mixed methods of research, both quantitative and qualitative. The population/participants were drawn from male and female students at UKZN who reside in two residences on the Howard College campus, namely, John Bews and Pius Langa. A non-probability snow ball sampling method was used to select a sample frame of 124 students comprising both female and male students. Questionnaires and focus group were used to gather data; a total of 100 questionnaires were administered and a focus group was conducted with eight participants in three separate sessions. The qualitative data gathered were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), which generated simple frequencies and percentages. The quantitative data was transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis with the help of the NVivo10 qualitative data analysis package. Thematic analysis developed by Braun & Clarke (2006) was employed to create categories and emerging themes that were derived from the coding process. Paulo Freire’s participatory development paradigm and the empowerment theory provided the conceptual framework within which the research is located. This enabled an exploration of how participatory approaches like focus group discussions create opportunities for participation. Kieffer’s (1984) four stages of empowerment guided the data analysis within the framework of empowerment theory. The study found that male students are more supportive of female condoms than female students. It also revealed that female students do not feel empowered by female condoms; this is as due to inadequate information and insufficient promotion of female condoms. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the most common source of information about female condoms among students was friends, followed by the clinic. Media and billboards had minimal effect in providing information and awareness on the female condom. Students feel that culture does not influence condom (male or female) use; this could suggest a positive future for femidom use in South Africa. / M. Soc. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.