Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are among the highest risk groups for HIV, and the risk distribution varies by race/ethnicity. Prevalence rates are consistently higher for minority YMSM. ⋯ We examined disparities in HIV risk among a community-based sample of Black, Latino, and non-Hispanic Caucasian YMSM age 16-24. To address gaps in the literature, we examined factors between and within racial/ethnic groups across domains including: sexual and substance use behaviors, sexualized and other social contexts, psychological well-being, HIV attributes and prevention skills, and sexual minority stress.
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It is a common problem in India for women in the reproductive age group to suffer from reproductive illnesses and not seek care. This paper is an attempt to assess untreated reproductive morbidities and to study factors affecting treatment-seeking behavior among ever married women of urban slums. We selected 1,046 women of the reproductive age group (15-49 years) using two-stage cluster sampling for a community-based, cross-sectional study. ⋯ Providers' poor attitudes, poor quality of services, and long waiting times were found to be the reasons for not utilizing health facilities. The determinants for accessing reproductive health care were resources available at the household level, social factors, the availability of services, and behaviors related to health. Government facilities remained underutilized.
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Although there has been much discussion about the persistence of poverty and welfare receipt among child-rearing women in the US, little is known about long-term patterns of poverty and welfare receipt or what differentiates those who remain on welfare from those who do not. Furthermore, are there distinctions between child-rearing women who are poor but not on welfare from those who do receive welfare? This study examined trajectories of welfare receipt and poverty among African-American women (n = 680) followed from 1966 to 1997. A semiparametric group-based approach revealed four trajectories of welfare receipt: no welfare (64.2%), early leavers (12.7%), late leavers (10.1%), and persistent welfare recipients (10.1%). ⋯ In addition, earlier chronic illness and social integration were important predictors to differentiate between long-term users (i.e., late leavers, persistent recipients) and short-term users (i.e., early leavers). Trajectories did not differ in teenage motherhood, substance use, or family history of welfare receipt. Implications for public policy are discussed.
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Comparative Study
The challenge of understanding mortality changes among street youth.
According to a cohort study conducted in Montréal, Québec from 1995 to 2000, the mortality rate among street youth was 921/100,000 person-years. Several new community initiatives aiming to increase access to housing and to social and health services for the homeless were implemented in the city between 2000 and 2003. This study aims to update the mortality rate estimate for the period 2001-2006 and to examine factors that could explain a difference between rates, if any. ⋯ It seems that various factors could have contributed to the decline in mortality rates among street youth, one plausible factor being the implementation of new services for the homeless. This study underscores the importance of monitoring risky behaviors among vulnerable populations to ensure that morbidity and mortality data among these populations is correctly interpreted. Setting up a system to monitor the drug market could improve the quality of information collected.
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We sought to describe: (1) the prevalence of internet, cellular phone, and text message use among women attending an urban sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinic, (2) the acceptability of health advice by each mode of information and communication technology (ICT), and (3) demographic characteristics associated with ICT use. This study is a cross-sectional survey of 200 English-speaking women presenting to a Baltimore City STI clinic with STI complaints. Participants completed a self-administered survey querying ICT use and demographic characteristics. ⋯ Cellular phone use was almost universal in this sample. All three modalities were equally acceptable forms of health communication. Describing baseline ICT access and the acceptability of health advice via ICT, as we have done, is one step toward determining the feasibility of ICT-delivered health interventions in urban populations.