Articles: disease.
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Multiple sexual partners and partner choice are believed to increase the risk of sexually transmitted disease (STD), but these behaviors had not previously been assessed outside of clinical populations. In this study, a cross-sectional survey among single, white, female students in their senior year of college was conducted to measure the association between behavioral risk factors and the acquisition of self-reported STDs during college. The usable response rate was 47.2% (n = 467). ⋯ The prevalence of a history of STDs increased with more causal partner choice and earlier age at first intercourse, but neither factor was independently associated with a history of STDs. Of the respondents, 23% always used condoms. Future research should focus on identifying ways of effectively changing high-risk sexual behavior.
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This article reviews the major approaches implemented during the last two decades to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors, examines their evidence for success, and provides several recommendations for effective programs and program evaluations. This article does not discuss more broad-based sexuality education programs which address sexuality in a broader context. Instead, this article focuses primarily on programs that educators believed would reduce unprotected sexual intercourse.
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Serum samples collected from two groups in the Tari District of Southern Highlands Province were assayed for markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. 85% of women of childbearing age were found to have markers of HBV infection; 37% were positive for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), indicative of the chronic carrier state, and 6.6% were positive for HBV e antigen (HBeAg), indicating the presence of actively replicating virus. 75% of women negative for HBsAg were positive for antibody to HBV core antigen (HBcAb), a marker of past infection. A group of children aged 6 to 18 years showed a significantly lower prevalence of markers of infection (66%) but higher rates of HBsAg positivity (46%) and HBeAg positivity (30%). Only 37% of the HBsAg-negative children in this group were positive for HBcAb. The results from this serosurvey suggest that the major route of HBV transmission in this population is horizontal, between older children, though significant transmission also occurs during the neonatal period.
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Aust J Public Health · Sep 1992
Teenage pregnancy and fertility in New South Wales: an examination of fertility trends, abortion and birth outcomes.
This paper reviews the data available in New South Wales on teenage fertility rates and pregnancy outcomes. Teenage births comprise six per cent of all births in New South Wales, but they constitute a significant public health problem because they are associated with elevated rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes, which include low birthweight, perinatal death and pre-eclampsia. Risk is concentrated in females under 18 years of age. ⋯ There are large geographic variations in teenage fertility within the state, with the highest rates in the far west of New South Wales and in western Sydney. Teenage pregnancy in New South Wales (as distinct from fertility which reflects births) cannot be assessed accurately because of the lack of information on terminations of pregnancy. However, available data suggest that teenage pregnancy rates have not increased during the 1980s.