Youth population's health issues in Comal County, Texas

This study assesses adolescent's health issues in Comal County, TX. Adolescents are defined as youth between the ages of 12 to 17 years of age, who resided in Comal County during the time period of 2000 to 2007. The analysis focused on high risk behaviors including use of gateway drugs—tobacco and alcohol; illegal substance use; and reproductive health related indicators, including sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy. This study is based on the primary and secondary data collected as part of the 2008 Comal County Community Assessment. It compares findings from the primary data sources to extant data from four secondary data sources including: (1) The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (national) Healthy People 2010; (2) The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, 2007; (3) The Texas Department of State Health Services, 2000 to 2007; and The Pride Survey (Local and Statewide). The methods are drawn from the literature on "rapid epidemiologic appraisal" (Annett H. & Rifkin S. B., 1988). The study focus on corroborating the perceptions, subjective concerns, opinions and beliefs of the Comal County key stakeholders and community participants with qualitative and quantitative indicators of health and well being. The value of this approach is to inform community leaders using a public health perspective and evidence in their decisions about priority setting and resources allocation activities for prevention of high risk behaviors and promotion of adolescent health and well being. ^

Is sexual violence associated with symptoms of depression and suicide attempts

Sexual assault, depression, and suicide are all very serious issues among youth today. This study sought to quantify the association between sexual violence, symptoms of depression, and suicide attempts through the use of 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data. The YRBS is a nationally representative dataset of United States high school students, grades 9-12. It was hypothesized that sexual violence is significantly associated with symptoms of depression and suicide attempts. Through multivariate logistic regression, it was determined that students who had ever experienced forced sex were 3.10 (2.7-3.6) times as likely to be depressed, in the past 12 months, and 4.22 (3.5-5.1) times as likely to have attempted suicide. Female victims were 3.43 (2.9-4.0) times as likely to be depressed; male victims were 5.40 (3.7-7.9) times as likely to have attempted suicide. Sexual violence is significantly associated with both symptoms of depression and suicide attempt when stratified by gender, grade, and race/ethnicity. These results indicate that further study of the association between sexual violence and symptoms of depression and suicide attempts need to be conducted in order to establish temporality.^

Process evaluation of intervention program for prevention of early sexual activity and alcohol use among Hispanic teenagers

Hispanic teens are a high-risk population for initiation of early sexual activity and alcohol use which in turn has numerous social and health consequences. One strategy to address prevention of these behaviors is to implement a capacity building intervention that promotes parent child communication, encompasses their cultural values and community participation. This study describes the process evaluation of a pilot intervention program amongst Hispanic teens and their families living along the Texas-Mexico border. “Girls Lets Talk” is a small group intervention with 10-14 year old teens and their female adult family members that involves education regarding effects of alcohol use and sexual activity as well as activities for monitoring and refusal skills to prevent risky behaviors. Two waves of the program each consisting of at least seven mother daughter dyads were conducted. During the designing process, community advisory board meetings and focus groups were held to review course materials and ensure they were appropriate to the Mexican American culture. Parent and adolescent surveys were administered at the beginning and end of the intervention to assess for psychosocial outcome variables. All sessions received high mean satisfactory scores (mean of 4.00 or better on a five point scale) for both adult and adolescent participants. Qualitative feedback was obtained via debriefing sessions to evaluate experience as well as alter recruitment strategies. A Wilcoxon Sign Rank analysis of the pre and post intervention surveys was done that showed significant changes in some outcome variables such as intentions and confidence for monitoring behaviors for adults and beliefs regarding sexual activity. “Girls Lets Talk” is a promising example of how a process evaluation plan can help develop a theory based health promotion program using the community based participatory research approach. The intervention may also be effective in altering intentions and enhancing self-efficacy among parents and teens in order to decrease risky behaviors such as early sexual activity and alcohol use.^

A comparison of risky sexual behaviors between older and younger men who have sex with men in Houston, TX

Objectives. This study estimated the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors of older (≥ years old) and younger (18-24 years) men who have sex with men (MSM) in Houston, TX and compared the prevalence of these behaviors between the two age cohorts. ^ Methods. Data used in this analysis were from the third MSM cycle of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Study. There were 80 older and 119 younger MSM who met the eligibility criteria. Bivariate and Multivariate analysis were performed to compare risky sexual behaviors from the past 12 months and at last sexual encounter between the two age cohorts. ^ Results. OMSM were more likely to be Non-Hispanic White (AOR=4.17; CI: 1.46, 11.89), to have a household income last year greater than $75,000 (AOR=3.59; CI: 1.12, 11.55), and to self-report HIV-positive (AOR=7.35; CI: 2.69, 20.10) than YMSM. OMSM were less like to have had anal sex (AOR=0.11; CI: 0.04, 0.29) or a main sex partner (AOR=0.2; CI: 0.09, 0.45) than YMSM in the past 12 months. Among MSM who had anal sex at last sexual encounter, OMSM were more likely to have not used a condom the entire time regardless of partner type (AOR=3.64; CI: 1.54, 8.61), not used a condom the entire time with a causal sex partner (AOR=7.72; CI: 1.76, 33.92), had unprotected insertive anal intercourse (AOR=2.92; CI: 1.1, 7.75), and used alcohol before or during sex (AOR=5.33; CI: 2.15, 13.2) than YMSM. YMSM and OMSM did not different significantly in knowledge of last sex partner's HIV status. ^ Conclusions. This is not a homogeneous sample of OMSM and risky sexual behaviors vary within the group. There were many similarities in risk behavior between OMSM and YMSM but also some key differences in partner type and condom use indicating a need for increased age-appropriate health promotion programs to limit a potential increase in HIV infection among OMSM. ^

Young Jewish adults sexual behaviors Peer, parental and surrounding influences

A qualitative study was conducted on young Jewish adults to determine cultural sexual health patterns with in the Jewish adolescent community. The young Jewish adults were recruited through Jewish social settings, such as Hillel Student Centers in Austin and Houston, Texas. Jewish was self-defined. A young adult, for this study, was defined as being between the ages of 18 and 23. Both female and males are needed in the study group. Individual interviews revealed 35 themes identifying the cultural, parental, peer, and surrounding factors that affect sexual behaviors during Jewish adolescence. Overall, this research demonstrates the need to further study and understand the culture and behaviors with in the Jewish community to then create a tailored intervention on healthy sexuality.^

Cyberbullying and school attachment: An analysis of the 2005-2006 U.S. health behavior in school-aged children (HBSC) study

Despite a lack of consistent research, the possible association between school attachment and cyberbullying suggests that targeting school attachment as a method of increasing help-seeking behaviors may be important in intervention strategies for cyberbullying. The present study sought to fill the gap in current literature by examining cyberbullying and school attachment in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents, grades 6-10 (n=9,227). Results found that negative school attachment was significantly associated with greater odds of cyberbullying victimization (OR=4.71, p<0.001), perpetration (OR=2.95, p<0.001), and cyberbully-victim status (OR=3.38, p<0.001). After adjustment for confounding variables, cyberbullying victimization remained significant (OR=1.90, p=0.002). Overall, the present analyses suggest that higher negative school attachment may be associated with higher frequency of cyberbullying behaviors. These findings provide evidence for an association between school attachment and cyberbullying, and support considerations that improving school attachment may be a potential source of intervention against cyberbullying in an adolescent population.^

Cómplices y coautores del hecho : Los múltiples involucrados en un delito sexual. Buenos Aires, 1850-1890

Los crímenes sexuales en general, y la violación en particular, suelen concebirse como una situación que involucra únicamente a dos personas: la víctima y su atacante, entre los que puede o no haber una relación o conocimiento previo. Esta imagen ha cristalizado en la justicia y la sociedad, convirtiéndose en parte del imaginario común. Sin embargo, los expedientes judiciales vinculados a estos delitos nos muestran un universo complejo de actores que no se agotan en aquel par. En este trabajo pretendo concentrarme y analizar casos en los que existe más de un acusado por el mismo crimen, mostrando particularmente cómo la justicia lidia con ellos desde el discurso, utilizando distintos expedientes para analizar las imágenes que jueces, abogados y médicos expresan, afirman o discuten sobre la sexualidad, el comportamiento esperado de los hombres y mujeres y la propia situación de la justicia frente a crímenes que se corren de la "normalidad" reconocida para aquellos

Cómplices y coautores del hecho : Los múltiples involucrados en un delito sexual. Buenos Aires, 1850-1890

Los crímenes sexuales en general, y la violación en particular, suelen concebirse como una situación que involucra únicamente a dos personas: la víctima y su atacante, entre los que puede o no haber una relación o conocimiento previo. Esta imagen ha cristalizado en la justicia y la sociedad, convirtiéndose en parte del imaginario común. Sin embargo, los expedientes judiciales vinculados a estos delitos nos muestran un universo complejo de actores que no se agotan en aquel par. En este trabajo pretendo concentrarme y analizar casos en los que existe más de un acusado por el mismo crimen, mostrando particularmente cómo la justicia lidia con ellos desde el discurso, utilizando distintos expedientes para analizar las imágenes que jueces, abogados y médicos expresan, afirman o discuten sobre la sexualidad, el comportamiento esperado de los hombres y mujeres y la propia situación de la justicia frente a crímenes que se corren de la "normalidad" reconocida para aquellos

ADOLESCÊNCIA E SEXUALIDADE: UMA ANÁLISE DO DISCURSO DA MÍDIA SEGMENTADA

Esse estudo propõe uma reflexão sobre o tratamento dado ao tema sexualidade nas revistas Atrevida e Capricho, destinadas a adolescentes. Nosso corpus constitui-se de 62 edições, veiculadas nos anos de 1996 e 2006. No contexto social, há uma preocupação crescente com as questões de saúde sexual e reprodutiva, gravidez precoce e aborto inseguro entre os menores de 18 anos. O objetivo do presente trabalho é, portanto, verificar qual é a contribuição dessas revistas adolescentes no que diz respeito à informação e ao esclarecimento sobre sexualidade e indicar se, em virtude do tempo, houve uma variação na forma de tratar o assunto. Também é nosso interesse verificar de que maneira os discursos sobre sexualidade são construídos nestes espaços e, para tanto, utilizamos a análise do discurso como eixo teórico-metodológico. Concluímos que, embora o assunto tenha espaço nas duas revistas, sua cobertura é restrita e não há freqüência ou continuidade nos temas abordados. Nota-se um esforço em esclarecer sobre sexualidade e disseminar comportamentos seguros, porém, a cobertura do temas é feita, em grande parte das vezes, de modo bastante superficial e seguindo padrões de abordagem que não são capazes de abranger o tema em toda a sua complexidade.(AU)

ADOLESCÊNCIA E SEXUALIDADE: UMA ANÁLISE DO DISCURSO DA MÍDIA SEGMENTADA

Esse estudo propõe uma reflexão sobre o tratamento dado ao tema sexualidade nas revistas Atrevida e Capricho, destinadas a adolescentes. Nosso corpus constitui-se de 62 edições, veiculadas nos anos de 1996 e 2006. No contexto social, há uma preocupação crescente com as questões de saúde sexual e reprodutiva, gravidez precoce e aborto inseguro entre os menores de 18 anos. O objetivo do presente trabalho é, portanto, verificar qual é a contribuição dessas revistas adolescentes no que diz respeito à informação e ao esclarecimento sobre sexualidade e indicar se, em virtude do tempo, houve uma variação na forma de tratar o assunto. Também é nosso interesse verificar de que maneira os discursos sobre sexualidade são construídos nestes espaços e, para tanto, utilizamos a análise do discurso como eixo teórico-metodológico. Concluímos que, embora o assunto tenha espaço nas duas revistas, sua cobertura é restrita e não há freqüência ou continuidade nos temas abordados. Nota-se um esforço em esclarecer sobre sexualidade e disseminar comportamentos seguros, porém, a cobertura do temas é feita, em grande parte das vezes, de modo bastante superficial e seguindo padrões de abordagem que não são capazes de abranger o tema em toda a sua complexidade.(AU)

Hormones, genes, and behavior

With assays of hormone-sensitive behaviors, it is possible to demonstrate both direct and indirect actions of genes on mammalian social behaviors. Direct effects of estrogen receptor gene expression and progesterone receptor gene expression figure prominently in well analyzed neuroendocrine mechanisms for sex behavior, operating through a neural circuit that has been delineated. Indirect effects, notably the consequences of sexual differentiation, display complex dependencies. In a human condition, Kallmann syndrome, the data show a clear, indirect genetic influence on an important human social behavior, in which damage at chromosome Xp-22.3 works through at least six discrete steps to affect libido. Altogether, simplistic extrapolations from lower animals, especially during brief summaries for nonscientists, do not appear justified as we discover and conceptualize genetic influences on mammalian brain and behavior.

Increased sexual activity reduces male immune function in Drosophila melanogaster

Despite the benefits of resistance, susceptibility to infectious disease is commonplace. Although specific susceptibility may be considered an inevitable consequence of the co-evolutionary arms race between parasite and host, a more general constraint may arise from the cost of an immune response. This “cost” hypothesis predicts a tradeoff between immune defense and other components of fitness. In particular, a tradeoff between immunity and sexually selected male behavior has been proposed. Here we provide experimental support for the direct phenotypic tradeoff between sexual activity and immunity by studying the antibacterial immune response in Drosophila melanogaster. Males exposed to more females showed a reduced ability to clear a bacterial infection, an effect that we experimentally link to changes in sexual activity. Our results suggest immunosuppression is an important cost of reproduction and that immune function and levels of disease susceptibility will be influenced by sexual selection.

Excitatory versus inhibitory GABA as a divergence point in steroid-mediated sexual differentiation of the brain

Whereas adult sex differences in brain morphology and behavior result from developmental exposure to steroid hormones, the mechanism by which steroids differentiate the brain is unknown. Studies to date have described subtle sex differences in levels of proteins and neurotransmitters during brain development, but these have lacked explanatory power for the profound sex differences induced by steroids. We report here a major divergence in the response to injection of the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) agonist, muscimol, in newborn male and female rats. In females, muscimol treatment primarily decreased the phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) within the hypothalamus and the CA1 region of the hippocampus. In contrast, muscimol increased the phosphorylation of CREB in males within these same brain regions. Within the arcuate nucleus, muscimol treatment increased the phosphorylation of CREB in both females and males. Thus, the response to GABA can be excitatory or inhibitory on signal-transduction pathways that alter CREB phosphorylation depending on the sex and the region in developing brain. This divergence in response to GABA allows for a previously unknown form of steroid-mediated neuronal plasticity and may be an initial step in establishing sexually dimorphic signal-transduction pathways in developing brain.