Managing older people with type 2 diabetes

The Guideline for Managing Older People with Type 2 Diabetes was considered a necessary development following the launch of the IDF 2012 Global Guideline for Type 2 Diabetes. In the latter, recommendations for managing diabetes in older people were included for the first time by the IDF but the review group felt that there were many areas where specific advice was still needed and indeed would offer the clinician extra value in decision making. It was also felt that the format of recommendation in the 2012 Guideline did not offer the flexibility required to address the special issues of older people and their varied physical, cognitive, and social needs.

An international group of diabetes experts was assembled to consider the key issues that require attention in supporting the highest quality of diabetes care for older people on a global scale. This Guideline is unique as it has been developed to provide the clinician with recommendation that assist in clinical management of a wide range of older adults such as those who are not only relatively well and active but those who are functionally dependent. This latter group has been categorised as those with frailty, or dementia, or those at the end of life. We have included practical advice on assessment measures that enable the clinician to categorise all older adults with diabetes and allow the appropriate and relevant recommendations to be applied.

The Guideline has been structured into main chapter headings dealing with expected areas such as cardiovascular risk, education, renal impairment, diabetic foot disease and so on, but also includes commonly addressed areas such as seen such as sexual health. Also included is a section of 'special consideration' where areas such as pain and end of life care are addressed.

New rules, no rules, old rules or our rules : women designing mixed-orientation relationships with bisexual men

This chapter draws from an Australian semi-structured interview project with seventy-eight culturally, sexually and geographically diverse women, aged nineteen to sixty-five, who were in monogamous, open and polyamorous marital and de facto relationships with bisexual men, abbreviated as MOREs (mixed-orientation relationships).
For the purposes of this chapter, I will provide an overview of the shifting subjectivities, agency and resistance of those women and their male partners who stated that, without coercion or repression, they undertook processes of ‘designing’ their long-term MOREs.
I wiIl explore what every woman stated as being an essential component of consensually and creatively entering or being in a relationship with a bisexual man: designing, negotiating and maintaining some “ground rules” and “boundaries”.
There appear to be three overall groups of ‘rules’ within which specific ‘designs’ are created:
1. ‘Old Rules’: Monogamy is considered the only workable or desirable rule, and a partner’s inability to adhere to monogamy would mean the end of the relationship.
2. ‘New Rules’: A range of negotiations and design-specifications establish non-monogamous boundaries and operational strategies.
3. ‘Our Rules or His and Her Rules’: Decisions are made regarding to what extent the rules will be equitable to both, or there are separate regulations for each partner.

Improving chlamydia knowledge should lead to increased chlamydia testing among Australian general practitioners: a cross-sectional study of chlamydia testing uptake in general practice

Female general practitioners (GPs) have higher chlamydia testing rates than male GPs, yet it is unclear whether this is due to lack of knowledge among male GPs or because female GPs consult and test more female patients.

Being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI): sources of support for young women

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are prevalent throughout the world with the rate of these infections increasing on a daily basis. STI acquisition has the ability to cause personal adversity and elicit feelings of stigma and shame. AIM: The aim of this paper is to report on the sources of support young women who acquired STIs drew on to overcome their associated adversity.

METHODS: This study utilised a feminist qualitative methodology.

FINDINGS: Findings revealed that the women drew on both personal and anonymous sources of support.

CONCLUSION: Nurses and other health-care professionals need to be equipped with knowledge and strategies to promote personal wellbeing and minimise the adversity felt among people having acquired these infections.

Comparative Analysis of Adolescent Pregnancy in Central America, Mexico and South Carolina

This paper addresses the issue of adolescent pregnancy in Mexico, Central America and South Carolina and implications for social work practice with immigrant communities. The paper is based on current literature and on cross-national, on-line survey of local and international pregnancy prevention programs. The paper analyzes and discusses various psychosocial causes of pregnancy in adolescents, including: limited opportunities for formal education, infrequent open discussions about sexual health, rising costs of adequate birth control, and difficulty in obtaining contraceptives in remote locations. This research paper analyzes current statistics on the effectiveness of existing projects and programs and compares and contrasts research about the validity and efficacy of these programs in both South Carolina and abroad. Finally, the paper addresses implications for social work practice with adolescents in immigrant communities.

Autocuidado de mulheres residentes no município de Benevides/PA na prevenção e controle de HPV: participação da(o) enfermeira(o)

INTRODUÇÃO: A infecção pelo Papiloma Vírus Humano (HPV) é uma das ISTs mais comuns no mundo e possui alto potencial carcinogênico para a cérvice uterina. OBJETIVOS: Identificar possíveis défices de competência para o autocuidado relativo ao comportamento de saúde sexual de mulheres atendidas nas Unidades Saúde da Família Paraíso do Murinin com resultados alterados para HPV e desenvolver estratégias de educação para a saúde que contribuam para comportamentos sexuais saudáveis na prevenção e controle do HPV e suas consequências. METODOLOGIA: Pesquisa desenvolvida no município de Benevides, Estado do Pará. Estudo configurado como pesquisa convergente-assistencial (PCA), que teve como referencial teórico o Autocuidado de Orem. A estratégia educacional foi aplicada em 11 mulheres na faixa etária entre 25 e 64 anos, que realizaram o exame de PCCU entre os anos 2011 e 2012 e que tiveram resultado com alterações relacionadas à contaminação pelo HPV. No desenvolvimento da estratégia educacional foi utilizada a técnica do grupo focal, o qual perdurou por dois meses (19/03/13-14/05/2013), com sete encontros grupais. A análise das informações colhidas durante as atividades grupais foi baseada na PCA e no referencial de autocuidado de Orem, com foco nos objetivos definidos, buscando avaliar como a mudança na percepção dos comportamentos de saúde na prevenção e controle do HPV se processava ante a estratégia educacional desenvolvida, norteada pelos preceitos do sistema de enfermagem de apoio-educação de OREM. RESULTADOS: Durante a pesquisa foi identificado défice de competência para o autocuidado na prevenção, tratamento/controle do HPV e nos cuidados apropriados; défice de conhecimentos acerca do HPV, suas consequências e seu enfrentamento; défice de competência para o autocuidado em práticas de vida sexual satisfatoriamente partilhadas; défice de competência quanto ao cuidado relacionado à redução de riscos socioeconômicos; défice de autocuidado em desvio de saúde relacionado ao tratamento e controle do HPV. Posteriormente foram desenvolvidas ações educativas contribuintes para comportamentos sexuais seguros em face do HPV e a outras ISTs. Ao longo do processo educativo as mulheres passaram a demonstrar competência cognitiva quanto à infecção por HPV e competência para o autocuidado em práticas de vida sexual satisfatoriamente partilhadas. CONCLUSÃO E IMPLICAÇÕES: concluímos que as estratégias educacionais utilizadas contribuem na aprendizagem das mulheres infectadas pelo HPV, na medida em que demonstraram sinais deaquisição de competências e habilidades para autocuidado e higiene com vista a práticas sexuais mais saudáveis, de modo compartilhado com seus parceiros. As implicações para a prática assistencial estão relacionadas à necessidade da enfermagem no desenvolvimento de mecanismos para melhor acolher o par sexual como usuários, de acordo com a política de prevenção de ISTs e de promoção de saúde da mulher. Para o ensino, salienta-se a importância de capacitação em serviço para atender a unidade mulher/homem como par conjugal/sexual, como também na formação de profissionais com uma visão abrangente de unidade implicada: o casal, a família. Para a pesquisa, é imprescindível a investigação de comportamentos humanos que mantêm elevada a incidência de papilomavirus humano, no intuito de encontrar estratégias que debelem a incidência e intensifique o controle, o tratamento e a prevenção de agravos pelo HPV.

Tornar-se pai na adolescência: vivências e representações

Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva - FMB

Religious communities and HIV prevention: An intervention study using a human rights-based approach

Religious communities have been a challenge to HIV prevention globally. Focusing on the acceptability component of the right to health, this intervention study examined how local Catholic, Evangelical and Afro-Brazilian religious communities can collaborate to foster young people`s sexual health and ensure their access to comprehensive HIV prevention in their communities in Brazil. This article describes the process of a three-stage sexual health promotion and HIV prevention initiative that used a multicultural human rights approach to intervention. Methods included 27 in-depth interviews with religious authorities on sexuality, AIDS prevention and human rights training of 18 young people as research-agents, who surveyed 177 youth on the same issues using self-administered questionnaires. The results, analysed using a rights-based perspective on health and the vulnerability framework, were discussed in daylong interfaith workshops. Emblematic of the collaborative process, workshops are the focus of the analysis. Our findings suggest that this human rights framework is effective in increasing inter-religious tolerance and in providing a collective understanding of the sexuality and prevention needs of youth from different religious communities, and also serves as a platform for the expansion of state AIDS programmes based on laical principles.

Comparing expectations and experiences of care for sexually transmitted infections in general practice: a qualitative study

Background A key aim of England's National Strategy for Sexual Health is to extend high-quality sexual health services in primary care. Objectives To explore the expectations and experiences of men and women who initially presented at their general practice with a suspected sexually transmitted infection in order to identify areas where change could improve service delivery. Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out in six general practices and two genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in Brent primary care trust (London) and Bristol (southwest England). Patients within general practice, and GUM patients who had initially attended general practice were eligible to participate. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Results 49 patients (29 women, 20 men) were interviewed. Patients approaching their GP practice typically expected written referral or in-house care, but this expectation was often not met. Absence of formal referral, lack of information and perceived avoidance of sexual health matters by practitioners were commonly cited as reasons for disappointment. However, a dedicated service within general practice met expectations well. Conclusion Purchasers and providers of all general practice services should ensure that any patient consulting in primary care with a suspected sexually transmitted infection can either receive appropriate care there, or a formal and supported referral to a specialised GUM clinic or primary care service.

Testing for sexually transmitted infections in general practice: cross-sectional study

Background Primary care is an important provider of sexual health care in England. We sought to explore the extent of testing for chlamydia and HIV in general practice and its relation to associated measures of sexual health in two contrasting geographical settings. Methods We analysed chlamydia and HIV testing data from 64 general practices and one genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic in Brent (from mid-2003 to mid-2006) and 143 general practices and two GUM clinics in Avon (2004). We examined associations between practice testing status, practice characteristics and hypothesised markers of population need (area level teenage conception rates and Index of Multiple Deprivation, IMD scores). Results No HIV or chlamydia testing was done in 19% (12/64) of general practices in Brent, compared to 2.1% (3/143) in Avon. In Brent, the mean age of general practitioners (GPs) in Brent practices that tested for chlamydia or HIV was lower than in those that had not conducted testing. Practices where no HIV testing was done had slightly higher local teenage conception rates (median 23.5 vs. 17.4/1000 women aged 15-44, p = 0.07) and served more deprived areas (median IMD score 27.1 vs. 21.8, p = 0.05). Mean yearly chlamydia and HIV testing rates, in practices that did test were 33.2 and 0.6 (per 1000 patients aged 15-44 years) in Brent, and 34.1 and 10.3 in Avon, respectively. In Brent practices only 20% of chlamydia tests were conducted in patients aged under 25 years, compared with 39% in Avon. Conclusions There are substantial geographical differences in the intensity of chlamydia and HIV testing in general practice. Interventions to facilitate sexually transmitted infection and HIV testing in general practice are needed to improve access to effective sexual health care. The use of routinely-collected laboratory, practice-level and demographic data for monitoring sexual health service provision and informing service planning should be more widely evaluated.

Prevalence, motivations, and adverse effects of vaginal practices in Africa and Asia: findings from a multicountry household survey

Background: Women worldwide use various vaginal practices to clean or modify their vulva and vagina. Additional population-level information is needed on prevalence and motivations for these practices, characteristics of users, and their adverse effects. Methods: This was a household survey using multistage cluster sampling in Tete, Mozambique; KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Yogyakarta, Indonesia; and Chonburi, Thailand. In 2006–2007, vaginal practices and their motivations were examined using structured interviews with women 18–60 years of age (n=3610). Results: Prevalence, frequency, and motivations varied markedly. Two thirds of women in Yogyakarta and Chonburi reported one or more practices. In Yogyakarta, nearly half ingest substances with vaginal effects, and in Chonburi, external washing and application predominate. In Tete, half reported three or four current practices, and a quarter reported five or more practices. Labial elongation was near universal, and 92% of those surveyed cleanse internally. Two third's in KwaZulu-Natal practiced internal cleansing. Insertion of traditional solid products was rare in Chonburi and Yogyakarta, but one tenth of women in KwaZulu-Natal and nearly two thirds of women in Tete do so. Multivariate analysis of the most common practice in each site showed these were more common among less educated women in Africa and young urban women in Asia. Explicit sexual motivations were frequent in KwaZulu-Natal and Tete, intended for pleasure and maintaining partner commitment. Practices in Chonburi and Yogyakarta were largely motivated by femininity and health. Genital irritation was common at African sites. Conclusions: Vaginal practices are not as rare, exotic, or benign as sometimes assumed. Limited evidence of their biomedical consequences remains a concern; further investigation of their safety and sexual health implications is warranted.

What can be gained from comprehensive disaggregate surveillance? The Avon Surveillance System for Sexually Transmitted Infections

OBJECTIVE: To describe a new disaggregate surveillance system covering key diagnosed sexually transmitted infections in a UK locality. METHODS: The Avon System for Surveillance of Sexually Transmitted Infections (ASSIST) collects computerised person- and episode-based information about laboratory-diagnosed sexually transmitted infections from genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, the Avon Brook Clinic, and the Health Protection Agency and trust laboratories in primary care trusts in Avon. The features of the system are illustrated here, by describing chlamydia-testing patterns according to the source of test, age and sex, and by mapping the distribution of chlamydia across Bristol, UK. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2004, there were 821,685 records of tests for sexually transmitted infections, with 23,542 positive results. The proportion of tests and positive results for chlamydia and gonorrhoea sent from general practice increased over time. Most chlamydia tests in both GUM and non-specialist settings were performed on women aged >25 years, but positivity rates were highest in women aged <25 years. The positivity rate remained stable between 2000 and 2004. Including data from all diagnostic settings, chlamydia rates were about twice as high as those estimated only from genitourinary clinic cases. CONCLUSIONS: The ASSIST model could be a promising new tool for planning and measuring sexual health services in England if it can become sustainable and provide more timely data using fewer resources. Collecting denominator data and including infections diagnosed in primary care are essential for meaningful surveillance.

Chlamydia prevalence in young attenders of rural and regional primary care services in Australia: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE To estimate chlamydia prevalence among 16-29-year-olds attending general practice clinics in Australia. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 2010 to December 2012. Sexually experienced 16-29-year-olds were recruited from 134 general practice clinics in 54 rural and regional towns in four states and in nine metropolitan clinics (consecutive patients were invited to participate). Participants completed a questionnaire and were tested for chlamydia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Chlamydia prevalence. RESULTS Of 4284 participants, 197 tested positive for chlamydia (4.6%; 95% CI, 3.9%-5.3%). Prevalence was similar in men (5.2% [65/1257]; 95% CI, 3.9%-6.4%) and women (4.4% [132/3027]; 95% CI, 3.5%-5.2%) (P = 0.25) and high in those reporting genital symptoms or a partner with a sexually transmissible infection (STI) - 17.0% in men (8/47; 95% CI, 2.8%-31.2%); 9.5% in women (16/169; 95% CI, 5.1%-13.8%). Nearly three-quarters of cases (73.4% [130/177]) were diagnosed in asymptomatic patients attending for non-sexual health reasons, and 83.8% of all participants (3258/3890) had attended for non-sexual health reasons. Prevalence was slightly higher in participants from rural and regional areas (4.8% [179/3724]; 95% CI, 4.0%-5.6%) than those from metropolitan areas (3.1% [17/548]; 95% CI, 1.5%-4.7%) (P = 0.08). In multivariable analysis, increasing partner numbers in previous 12 months (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for three or more partners, 5.11 [95% CI, 2.35-11.08]), chlamydia diagnosis in previous 12 months (AOR, 4.35 [95% CI, 1.52-12.41]) and inconsistent condom use with most recent partner (AOR, 2.90 [95% CI, 1.31-6.40]) were significantly associated with chlamydia in men. In women, increasing partner numbers in previous 12 months (AOR for two partners, 2.59 [95% CI, 1.59-4.23]; AOR for three or more partners, 3.58 [95% CI, 2.26-5.68]), chlamydia diagnosis in previous 12 months (AOR, 3.13 [95% CI, 1.62-6.06]) and age (AOR for 25-29-year-olds, 0.23 [95% CI, 0.12-0.44]) were associated with chlamydia. CONCLUSIONS Chlamydia prevalence is similar in young men and women attending general practice. Testing only those with genital symptoms or a partner with an STI would have missed three-quarters of cases. Most men and women are amenable to being tested in general practice, even in rural and regional areas.

Latino Teen Pregnancy in Texas: Prevalence, Prevention, and Policy

Texas is home to over one million Latino teens who are at risk for negative reproductive health outcomes, such as teen pregnancy and STIs. Teen pregnancy disproportionately impacts the health of Latino teens in Texas and places them at risk of continued high rates of poverty, school dropout, and unemployment unless Texas makes a concerted effort to reduce its teen pregnancy rate. The birth rate among Latina girls is astonishing: 98 per 1000 Latinas (aged 15-19) are giving birth. This translates to over 32,000 births each year among Latina teens, costing almost $98 million in direct medical expenditures and well over $638 million if other costs are included. Most teens become sexually experienced while they are of school age, which translates to an estimated 414,583 sexually experienced Latino students attending Texas public schools. Of these Latino youth, 237,466 report being currently sexually active, and 89,000 report having had four or more sexual partners in their lifetime. While causes of teen pregnancy are complex, the solutions to teen pregnancy are known. Texas needs an effective, comprehensive approach to address the sexual health needs of Texas Latino youth that includes: statewide implementation and monitoring of evidence-based sex education for middle school and high school students, access to reproductive health services for students who are already sexually experienced, and widespread training on adolescent sexual health for teachers, service providers, and parents. By tackling teen pregnancy, we can positively impact the future and well-being of not only Latinos, but of all Texans, and subsequently can contribute to the social and economic success of Texas.

Dispelling the Myth: What Parents Really Think about Sex Education in Schools

Background: School-based sex education is effective in reducing risky sexual behavior among adolescents that may lead to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. However, most sex education policies in the US do not support evidence-based programs. Understanding parental attitudes around sex education is crucial to overcoming perceived barriers to implementing school-based sex education. Little research has been published on the opinions of parents in Texas, which accounts for 12% of the nation’s teen births. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether Texas parents favor teaching sex education in schools, in what grades they think sex education should be taught, what content they think should be taught, and who they think should make decisions regarding sex education. Methods: We commissioned a telephone survey of parents of children 18 years or younger in Harris County, Texas. Survey questions assessed demographic characteristics and opinions about sex education. We used chi-square tests to examine differences across sociodemographic characteristics. Results: 1,201 parents completed the survey. The majority of parents (80%) responded that sex education should begin in middle school or earlier, and two-thirds said that it should include information about condoms and contraception. Hispanic parents showed the highest support for teaching sex education and providing medically accurate information on condoms and contraception in middle school or earlier. Conclusion: Parents in Harris County overwhelmingly support sex education that includes medically accurate information about condoms and contraception beginning before high school. These data provide evidence to change sex education policies to better reflect parental opinions.