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Context
Kinds of Context Terms modified by Context Selected AbstractsGUARDIANSHIP IN CONTEXT: IMPLICATIONS FOR BURGLARY VICTIMIZATION RISK AND PREVENTION,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 4 2007PAMELA WILCOX Survey data from 4,227 Seattle residents nested within 100 "neighborhoods" (census tracts) were analyzed to discern interrelationships between various dimensions of individual-level and neighborhood-level guardianship. We focused on four dimensions of guardianship,physical (target hardening), personal (home occupancy), social (informal control), and natural (surveillance through environmental design),at both individual and neighborhood levels. A multilevel opportunity, theoretical framework guided hypotheses, which suggests that each of the four dimensions of individual guardianship would be related more negatively to burglary as each of the four dimensions of aggregate guardianship increased. Multilevel logistic regression analysis revealed support for many of such hypothesized moderating effects of aggregate guardianship. More specifically, 6 of the 16 possible interaction effects were statistically significant at the .05 level and an additional 3 interaction effects were significant at the .10 level. In particular, individuallevel target hardening, place management, and natural surveillancewere related more negatively to burglary as neighborhood-level target hardening increased, as neighborhood-level informal social control increased, and as neighborhood-level natural surveillance increased. [source] THE CONTEXT OF MARRIAGE AND CRIME: GENDER, THE PROPENSITY TO MARRY, AND OFFENDING IN EARLY ADULTHOOD,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 1 2007RYAN D. KING Marriage is central to theoretical debates over stability and change in criminal offending over the life course. Yet, unlike other social ties such as employment, marriage is distinct in that it cannot be randomly assigned in survey research to more definitively assess causal effects of marriage on offending. As a result, key questions remain as to whether different individual propensities toward marriage shape its salience as a deterrent institution. Building on these issues, the current research has three objectives. First, we use a propensity score matching approach to estimate causal effects of marriage on crime in early adulthood. Second, we assess sex differences in the effects of marriage on offending. Although both marriage and offending are highly gendered phenomena, prior work typically focuses on males. Third, we examine whether one's propensity to marry conditions the deterrent capacity of marriage. Results show that marriage suppresses offending for males, even when accounting for their likelihood to marry. Furthermore, males who are least likely to marry seem to benefit most from this institution. The influence of marriage on crime is less robust for females, where marriage reduces crime only for those with moderate propensities to marry. We discuss these findings in the context of recent debates concerning gender, criminal offending, and the life course. [source] THE MULTILEVEL CONTEXT OF CRIMINAL SENTENCING: INTEGRATING JUDGE- AND COUNTY-LEVEL INFLUENCES,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 2 2006BRIAN D. JOHNSON This study extends recent inquiries of contextual effects in sentencing by jointly examining the influence of judge and courtroom social contexts. It combines two recent years of individual sentencing data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (PCS) with data on judicial background characteristics and county court social contexts. Three-level hierarchical models are estimated to investigate the influence of judge and county contexts on individual variations in sentencing. Results indicate that nontrivial sentencing variations are associated with both individual judge characteristics and county court contexts. Judicial background factors also condition the influence of individual offender characteristics in important ways. These and other findings are discussed in relation to contemporary theoretical perspectives on courtroom decision making that highlight the importance of both judge and court contexts in sentencing. The study concludes with suggestions for future research on contextual disparities in criminal sentencing. [source] DETERRENCE, CONTEXT, AND CRIME DECISION MAKINGCRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2008GREG POGARSKY First page of article [source] ECOLOGICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL CONTEXT OF NATURAL SELECTION: MATERNAL EFFECTS AND THERMALLY INDUCED PLASTICITY IN THE FROG BOMBINA ORIENTALISEVOLUTION, Issue 1 2006Robert H. Kaplan Abstract Variation in fitness generated by differences in functional performance can often be traced to morphological variation among individuals within natural populations. However, morphological variation itself is strongly influenced by environmental factors (e.g., temperature) and maternal effects (e.g., variation in egg size). Understanding the full ecological context of individual variation and natural selection therefore requires an integrated view of how the interaction between the environment and development structures differences in morphology, performance, and fitness. Here we use naturally occurring environmental and maternal variation in the frog Bombina orientalis in South Korea to show that ovum size, average temperature, and variance in temperature during the early developmental period affect body sizes, shapes, locomotor performance, and ultimately the probability of an individual surviving interspecific predation in predictable but nonadditive ways. Specifically, environmental variability can significantly change the relationship between maternal investment in offspring and offspring fitness so that increased maternal investment can actually negatively affect offspring over a broad range of environments. Integrating environmental variation and developmental processes into traditional approaches of studying phenotypic variation and natural selection is likely to provide a more complete picture of the ecological context of evolutionary change. [source] CONTEMPORARY PATTERNS IN A HISTORICAL CONTEXT: PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL, BATTUS PHILENOR (PAPILIONIDAE)EVOLUTION, Issue 5 2003James A. Fordyce Abstract We examined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in pipevine swallowtail butterflies (Battus philenor) from throughout its extant range to provide a historical, phylogeographical context for ecological studies of the disjunct population in California. We evaluate current hypotheses regarding host plant use, behavior, and mimetic relationships of B. philenor populations and generate alternative hypotheses. Compared to populations throughout the rest of the species' range, California populations are ecologically distinct in that they lack mimics, lay significantly larger clutches of eggs, and exclusively use a unique, endemic larval host plant. Analysis of molecular variance, tests of population differentiation, and nested clade analysis of mtDNA variation indicate that, despite low levels of population genetic structure across the species' range, there is evidence of recent range expansion from presumed Pleistocene refuge(s) in southeastern North America. Colonization of California appears to have been a recent event. This phylogeographic investigation also suggests that the evolution of life-history adaptations to a novel larval host has occurred rapidly in California and the lack of mimics in California may be attributable to the recency of colonization. [source] A 2000-YEAR CONTEXT FOR MODERN CLIMATE CHANGEGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2005K.A. MAASCH ABSTRACT. Although considerable attention has been paid to the record of temperature change over the last few centuries, the range and rate of change of atmospheric circulation and hydrology remain elusive. Here, eight latitudinally well-distributed (pole-equator-pole), highly resolved (annual to decadal) climate proxy records are presented that demonstrate major changes in these variables over the last 2000 years. A comparison between atmospheric 14C and these changes in climate demonstrates a first-order relationship between a variable Sun and climate. The relationship is seen on a global scale. [source] MIRACLE HEALING AND EXORCISM: THE SOUTH INDIAN PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF POPULAR HINDUISM,INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 356-357 2001Michael Bergunder First page of article [source] THE EFFECT OF PROXY-VOICE INTERVENTION ON COUPLE SOFTENING IN THE CONTEXT OF ENACTMENTSJOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 4 2006Ryan B. Seedall In this study we evaluated the effectiveness of proxy voice (therapist acting as client's "voice") intervention, embedded within couple enactments, on client-perceived softening. The primary research question was whether use of proxy voice would be more likely to bring about softening, or if its use was counterintuitive to enactment conceptualization and would elicit struggle behavior (e.g., withdrawal or negativity). Results indicate that proxy voice has a significant, positive association with softening and is inversely related to withdrawal or negativity. Preliminary findings suggest that proxy voice intervention embedded within a fluid, carefully delineated, and discriminating model of enactments effectively facilitates essential elements of couple interaction (expression of primary affect and articulation of self-concept and attachment threats) while promoting self-reliant couple interaction and increased softening. [source] THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND DIALYSIS WORKFORCE STUDY IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXTJOURNAL OF RENAL CARE, Issue 4 2009Nick Polaschek RN SUMMARY Background: Given increasing demand for renal replacement therapy, this study sought to identify of key workforce issues facing dialysis units, based on a "snapshot" of the current workforce. Methods: A web-based survey of all dialysis unit managers in Australia and New Zealand, in October 2008, about their workforce. Results: A significant minority of dialysis staff in most regions were not registered nurses. Many renal registered nurses worked part-time. Staff/patient ratios in dialysis units varied significantly by region, reflecting the relative prevalence of home therapies. Most dialysis units were generally adequately staffed. The proportion of registered nurses with specific renal qualifications varied significantly by region. Conclusion: The changing character of the workforce in the dialysis unit in the future will require clarification of the relationships between different categories of dialysis staff. Specialty education for nurses needs to be oriented to equipping staff to be effective in their changing work environment. [source] HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT: LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS IN A TRANSCULTURAL CONTEXTJOURNAL OF RENAL CARE, Issue 4 2009Tai Mooi Ho SUMMARY Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney diseases. According to estimation, the prevalence of hypertension will increase unless extensive and effective preventive measures are implemented. The diversity of languages and cultures of the hypertensive patients requiring adequate blood pressure control make communications difficult in many instances. Nursing intervention for patients to adopt a healthy lifestyle requires effective communication. But the communication problems encountered in a culturally diverse context can result in undesirable outcomes for the patients and the health-care team. This paper describes the production of a document to assist staff address the difficulty in intercultural communication, which could be used anywhere in the world. This document can facilitate nursing intervention to achieve optimal hypertension management in a transcultural context, responding to the challenge regarding preventive measures to halt increase in hypertension prevalence. [source] ON SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS IN A SUPPLY CHAIN CONTEXT,JOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2009STEPHEN P. BORGATTI The network perspective is rapidly becoming a lingua franca across virtually all of the sciences from anthropology to physics. In this paper, we provide supply chain researchers with an overview of social network analysis, covering both specific concepts (such as structural holes or betweenness centrality) and the generic explanatory mechanisms that network theorists often invoke to relate network variables to outcomes of interest. One reason for discussing mechanisms is to facilitate appropriate translation and context-specific modification of concepts rather than blind copying. We have also taken care to apply network concepts to both "hard" types of ties (e.g., materials and money flows) and "soft" types of ties (e.g., friendships and sharing-of-information), as both are crucial (and mutually embedded) in the supply chain context. Another aim of the review is to point to areas in other fields that we think are particularly suitable for supply chain management (SCM) to draw network concepts from, such as sociology, ecology, input,output research and even the study of romantic networks. We believe the portability of many network concepts provides a potential for unifying many fields, and a consequence of this for SCM may be to decrease the distance between SCM and other branches of management science. [source] CLIMATE IMPACTS ON URBAN WATER RESOURCES IN THE SOUTHWES THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 2 2000Barbara J. Morehouse ABSTRACT: Stresses on water resources in the Southwest take many forms and emanate from many different sources, among which are complex institutional arrangements, significant areal and temporal climatic variability, and high urban growth rates. Further challenges to managing supply and demand in this water-scarce region are posed by environmental, social, and legal differences within and between the individual urban areas. Analysis of the sensitivity of the urban water sector in the Southwest to climatic variability requires careful consideration of these factors. Such analysis, in turn, provides an essential foundation for effective evaluation of the region's sensitivity to longer term climate change. [source] VOCAL RATES AND SOCIAL CONTEXT IN MALE SOUTH AMERICAN SEA LIONSMARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2001Esteban Fernández-Juricic [source] PHILOSOPHERS, THEIR CONTEXT, AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIESMETAPHILOSOPHY, Issue 5 2006WARD E. JONES Abstract: It has at various times been said, both before and since the fall of apartheid, that philosophers in South Africa are neglecting to do certain sorts of work. Behind this accusation lies a general claim that philosophers have responsibilities to their contexts. This essay is dedicated to (i) defending this claim against objections, and (ii) offering a positive argument for there being moral pressure on philosophers to increase understanding. My aim is not to accuse any philosopher or community of philosophers of neglect. It is rather to defend an understanding of both philosophy and ethical responsibilities that makes room for philosophers to have moral responsibilities. Whether or not it has ever in fact been appropriate to accuse philosophers in South Africa, or indeed anywhere else, of neglect, philosophers do indeed have responsibilities to their contexts. [source] ENCOUNTERING CONCEPTS IN CONTEXTMONOGRAPHS OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2008Arlene S. Walker-Andrews First page of article [source] THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SOCIAL SCIENTISTMONOGRAPHS OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2006John P. Jackson Jr. First page of article [source] FISH, FISHERS, SEALS AND TOURISTS: ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF CREATING A MARINE RESERVE IN A MULTI-SPECIES, MULTI-ACTIVITY CONTEXTNATURAL RESOURCE MODELING, Issue 4 2002JEAN BONCOEUR ABSTRACT. This paper investigates some economic consequences of creating a marine reserve on both fishing and ecotourism, when the range of controllability of fishing effort is limited and the impact of the reserve on ecosystem is considered. The issue is illustrated by the example of creating a no-take zone in part of a region where fishing is managed through a limited entry license system, and which is inhabited by two interacting stocks: a stock of prey (fish) and a stock of predators (seals). While the former is targeted by commercial fishing, the latter is not subject to harvest but is a potential basis for a commercial non-extractive activity (seal watching). Analysis is conducted with the help of a bioeconomic model combining the features of marine reserve modeling and of multispecies modeling. Following a description of the model, results of several simulation runs are presented. These show that creating a marine reserve has more complex economic implications than predicted in studies focused exclusively on one stock and/or commercial fisheries. More specifically, the model shows that the dynamics of the two interacting stocks reduces the benefits of the no-take zone for the fishing industry, while it makes the creation of this zone provide an opportunity for the development of ecotourism. Due to this dynamics, the model suggests that the optimal size of the reserve is larger when ecotourism is taken into account along with fishing activities. [source] PROCESSION AND SYMBOLISM AT TARA: ANALYSIS OF TECH MIDCHÚARTA (THE ,BANQUETING HALL') IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SACRAL CAMPUSOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 4 2007CONOR NEWMAN Summary. New analysis explores Tech Midchúarta (the ,Banqueting Hall') from the point of view of a sacral, processional approach to the summit of the Hill of Tara, the pre-eminent cult and inauguration site of prehistoric and early medieval Ireland. It is suggested that aspects of its architectural form symbolize the liminal boundary between the human world and the Otherworld of Tara, and that in so far as Tech Midchúarta is also designed to control and manipulate how the ceremonial complex is disclosed to the observer, it assembles the existing monuments into one, integrated ceremonial campus. It is argued that Tech Midchúarta is one of the later monuments on the Hill of Tara and that it may date from the early medieval period. Using the evidence of documentary sources and extant monuments, a possible processional route from Tech Midchúarta to Ráith na Ríg is described. Immráidem fós Long na Láech frisanabar Barc Ban mbáeth. Tech na Fían, nirbo long lec, co cethri doirsib deac. Let us consider too the Hall of the Heroes which is called the Palace of Vain Women; the House of Warriors, it was no mean hall, with fourteen doors. (Gwynn 1903,35, Metrical Dindshenchas III, 18) [source] UNDERSTANDING REACTIONS TO JOB REDESIGN: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT ON PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE BEHAVIORPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006FREDERICK P. MORGESON Redesigning jobs from a traditional workgroup structure to a semi-autonomous team structure has become increasingly popular, but the impact of such redesigns on employee effectiveness criteria has been mixed. The present longitudinal quasi-experimental study showed that although such a redesign had positive effects on 3 performance behaviors (effort, skill usage, and problem solving), its effectiveness also depended on aspects of the organizational context. In conditions where the organizational reward and feedback and information systems were effective, redesigning work into a semi-autonomous team structure had no discernible effect on performance behaviors. In conditions where these systems were poor, however, such a redesign produced large positive benefits. This suggests that work redesigns that enhance worker autonomy are most effective in contexts where other supportive management systems are absent. [source] UNDERSTANDING SELF-OTHER AGREEMENT: A LOOK AT RATER AND RATEE CHARACTERISTICS, CONTEXT, AND OUTCOMESPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2004CHERI OSTROFF This study investigated (a) the relative importance of a number of biographic (e.g., age, race, gender) and contextual (e.g., span of control, functional area) variables and their interactions on self-other agreement and (b) the relationship between self-other agreement and outcome variables such as performance and compensation. Usable data were collected from 3,217 managers and their multi-source raters in 527 organizations. Multivariate regression procedures (as opposed to categorization procedures) were used to determine the sources of rating disagreement. Results indicated that a significant portion of variance in self-other ratings was accounted for by the set of background/context variables. Self-other agreement was also related to performance, compensation, and organizational level, though rating patterns differed. [source] Sex Redefined: The Reclassification Of Oral-Genital ContactPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 2 2010Jason D. Hans CONTEXT: Although partially anecdotal, some evidence suggests that oral-genital contact is increasingly excluded from young people's notions of what behaviors constitute sex. Such a shift may have implications for STD prevention. METHODS: In 2007, a convenience sample of 477 university students participated in a survey that included the question "Would you say you ,had sex' with someone if the most intimate behavior you engaged in was" each of 11 behaviors. Chi-square tests and independent samples t tests were used to assess gender differences, and chi-square analyses were used to compare the data with similar data collected in 1991. Predictors of beliefs concerning the classification of oral-genital contact were assessed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The majority of respondents indicated that penile-vaginal intercourse and penile-anal intercourse constitute sex (98% and 78%, respectively), but only about 20% believed the same was true of oral-genital contact. The proportion classifying oral-genital contact as sex in 2007 was about half that in 1991. This difference was consistent for both sexes and for both giving and receiving oral-genital stimulation. Responses did not vary by respondents' sexual experience or demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Sociocultural conceptualizations of oral-genital contact have shifted in a way that may leave people who engage in this activity unmindful of its potential health risks. Sex education programs, which generally focus on penile-vaginal contact, could help STD prevention efforts by explaining the risks associated with oral-genital stimulation and the measures that can be taken to minimize those risks. [source] Lack of Awareness of Partner STD Risk Among Heterosexual CouplesPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 1 2010Susan S. Witte CONTEXT: Individuals' accurate assessment of their exposure to the risk of HIV and other STDs requires awareness of their sexual partners' risk behaviors and disease status. METHODS: In a sample of 217 couples enrolled in a risk intervention trial in 1997,2002, both partners reported on their own risk behaviors and their perceptions of their partner's behavior; concordance of partners' reports was examined using kappa statistics. Individual and relationship characteristics predicting lack of awareness of a partner's risk behavior were explored using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Three percent of women and 14% of men were unaware that their partner had recently had a concurrent partner. Eleven percent and 12%, respectively, were unaware that their partner had ever injected drugs; 10% and 12% were unaware that their partner had recently received an STD diagnosis; and 2% and 4% were unaware that their partner was HIV-positive. Women's lack of awareness of partner risk was associated with increasing age (odds ratio, 1.1), being of a race or ethnicity other than black or Latina (15.8) and having a Latino partner (3.7); it was positively associated with a man's report that he was married (4.4) and with relationship satisfaction as reported by both the woman and her partner (1.2 for each). Among men, lack of awareness was positively associated with partner's age (1.1) and with having a partner who was formerly married (8.2). CONCLUSIONS: Couple-based interventions that assess each partner's awareness of the other's risk behavior may help programs better target couples' STD prevention needs. [source] Parents' Perspectives on Talking to Preteenage Children About SexPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 1 2010Ellen K. Wilson CONTEXT:Although parent-child communication about sex can significantly affect children's sexual behavior, many parents do not talk to their children about sex. Qualitative research can elucidate parents' attitudes toward and experiences with communicating with their children about sex. METHODS:In 2007, 16 focus groups were conducted with 131 mothers and fathers of children aged 10,12 in three cities in different regions of the United States. Separate groups were conducted for mothers and fathers, and for black, white and Hispanic parents. Content analysis was used to identify core themes and patterns. RESULTS:Parents believed it is important to talk to their children about sex and believed that doing so can be effective, but many had not done so. Primary barriers were parents' perception that their children are too young and not knowing how to talk to their children about the subject. Parents found it easiest to talk to their children about sex if they had a good parent-child relationship, took advantage of opportunities to talk and began having the discussions when their children were very young. Some differences were noted by parents' race, ethnicity, gender and location. CONCLUSIONS:Interventions aimed at encouraging parents to talk to their children about sex should enhance parents' understanding of the stages of children's sexual development and focus on the parents of young children. In addition, interventions should support parents in a range of strategies that complement discussions about sex. [source] The Link Between Couples' Pregnancy Intentions And Behavior: Does It Matter Who Is Asked?PERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 4 2008Maureen R. Waller CONTEXT:,Previous studies have linked pregnancy intentions with some pregnancy-related behaviors and infant health outcomes. However, most have used only women's reports of intentions and examined only maternal behaviors. METHODS:,Baseline data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (1998,2000) are used to examine whether parents of newborns considered abortion upon learning of the pregnancy and whether this measure of pregnancy intention is associated with their behaviors during pregnancy or with infant birth weight. Associations between outcomes and each parent's pregnancy intention are explored with multivariate probit regressions or least squares regressions for 737 married and 2,366 unmarried couples. RESULTS:,If at least one parent considered abortion, unmarried mothers had a significantly reduced probability of initiating early prenatal care, and unmarried fathers had a significantly reduced probability of providing cash or in-kind support during the pregnancy. The proportion of mothers receiving care in the first trimester was 12 percentage points lower when the mother only or both parents considered abortion than when neither parent did; depending on which parent reported on fathers' support during pregnancy, the proportion of fathers who provided cash or in-kind assistance was 6,10 percentage points lower when the father only considered abortion and 6,14 points lower when both parents considered abortion than when neither did. CONCLUSIONS:,Future research on pregnancy intentions should incorporate both men and women. Understanding men's pregnancy intentions and their associations with early support of mothers may inform discussions of how to encourage men's involvement in family planning, prenatal health care and parenting. [source] Pregnancy Intention and Preterm Birth: Differential Associations Among a Diverse Population of WomenPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 2 2008Aimee Afable-Munsuz CONTEXT:,Studies published to date provide mixed evidence on the relationship between unintended pregnancy and preterm birth, and none take into consideration that the meaning of unintended pregnancy may vary across racial and ethnic groups. METHODS:,Data from the 1999,2003 rounds of the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment, a population-based, representative survey of postpartum women in California, were used to assess the relationship between pregnancy intention and preterm birth. For racial and ethnic groups in which an association was found, sequential logistic regression was conducted to further examine the relationship while controlling for socioeconomic characteristics. RESULTS:,In unadjusted results, pregnancy intention was associated with preterm birth among both whites and immigrant Latinas, but not among blacks or U.S.-born Latinas. Among whites, compared with women who reported that their pregnancy was intended, those who were unsure about their pregnancy had elevated odds of preterm birth (odds ratio, 1.4), as did those who reported their pregnancy was unwanted (1.7) or mistimed (1.4). Among immigrant Latinas, those who reported being unsure about their pregnancy were at higher risk of preterm birth than were those who reported an intended pregnancy (1.6). After adjustment for socioeconomic factors, the association remained significant for immigrant Latinas who were unsure about their pregnancy (1.5), but none of the associations remained significant for whites. CONCLUSIONS:,Women's interpretations of questions about pregnancy intention and their social experiences regarding pregnancy intention may vary by race or ethnicity. Studies on the association between pregnancy intention and preterm birth may need to be group-specific. [source] Changes in Formal Sex Education: 1995,2002PERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 4 2006Laura Duberstein Lindberg CONTEXT: Although comprehensive sex education is broadly supported by health professionals, funding for abstinence-only education has increased. METHODS: Using data from the 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males, the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and the 2002 NSFG, changes in male and female adolescents'reports of the sex education they have received from formal sources were examined. Life-table methods were used to measure the timing of instruction, and t tests were used for changes over time. RESULTS: From 1995 to 2002, reports of formal instruction about birth control methods declined among both genders (males, from 81% to 66%; females, from 87% to 70%). This, combined with increases in reports of abstinence education among males (from 74% to 83%), resulted in a lower proportion of teenagers'overall receiving formal instruction about both abstinence and birth control methods (males, 65% to 59%; females, 84% to 65%), and a higher proportion of teenagers'receiving instruction only about abstinence (males, 9% to 24%; females, 8% to 21%). Teenagers in 2002 had received abstinence education about two years earlier (median age, 11.4 for males, 11.8 for females) than they had received birth control instruction (median age, 13.5 for both males and females). Among sexually experienced adolescents, 62% of females and 54% of males had received instruction about birth control methods prior to first sex. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial retreat from formal instruction about birth control methods has left increasing proportions of adolescents receiving only abstinence education. Efforts are needed to expand teenagers'access to medically accurate and comprehensive reproductive health information. [source] Estimates of Pregnancies Averted Through California's Family Planning Waiver Program in 2002PERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 3 2006Diana Greene Foster CONTEXT: During its first year of operation (1997-1998), California's family planning program, Family PACT, helped more than 750,000 clients to avert an estimated 108,000 pregnancies. Given subsequent increases in the numbers of clients served and contraceptive methods offered by the program, updated estimates of its impact on fertility are needed. METHODS: Claims data on contraceptives dispensed were used to estimate the number of pregnancies experienced by women in the program in 2002. Medical record data on methods used prior to enrollment were used to predict client fertility in the absence of the program. Further analyses examined the sensitivity of these estimates to alternative assumptions about contraceptive failure rates, contraceptive continuation and contraceptive use in the absence of program services. RESULTS: Almost 6.4 million woman-months of contraception, provided primarily by oral contraceptives (57%), barrier methods (19%) and the injectable (18%), were dispensed through Family PACT during 2002. As a result, an estimated 205,000 pregnancies,which would have resulted in 79,000 abortions and 94,000 births, including 21,400 births to adolescents,were averted. Changing the base assumptions regarding contraceptive failure rates or method use had relatively small effects on the estimates, whereas assuming that clients would use no contraceptives in the absence of Family PACT nearly tripled the estimate of pregnancies averted. CONCLUSIONS: Because all contraceptive methods substantially reduce the risk of pregnancy, Family PACT'S impact on preventing pregnancy lies primarily in providing contraceptives to women who would otherwise not use any method. [source] Exploring the Link Between Substance Use and Abortion: The Roles of Unconventionality and Unplanned PregnancyPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 2 2006Steven C. Martino CONTEXT: Several studies have found a relationship between abortion and prior substance use, suggesting that a reduction in substance use might help decrease abortion rates. However, such a conclusion requires a greater understanding of the processes linking abortion and prior substance use. METHOD: Path analysis of longitudinal data from 1,224 women was used to simultaneously test two pathways from adolescent substance use to abortion by age 29, one mediated by higher rates of unplanned pregnancy and the other independent of unplanned pregnancy rates. The model was then expanded to examine how these pathways change when unconventional attitudes and behaviors (such as rebelliousness and low religiosity) are taken into consideration. RESULTS: In the analysis that did not control for unconventionality, women who reported smoking cigarettes or using marijuana or hard drugs at age 18 had an increased likelihood of subsequent unplanned pregnancy and, as a result, higher rates of abortion. In addition, women who had used marijuana had an increased likelihood of abortion independent of unplanned pregnancy rates. In the final model, unconventionality strongly predicted both abortion and unplanned pregnancy. Moreover, it explained the associations between the use of hard drugs or marijuana and abortion that were due to higher unplanned pregnancy rates. CONCLUSIONS: Unconventionality mediates certain associations between substance use and abortion, perhaps because unconventional women are more likely both to use substances and to engage in behaviors that increase their risk of unplanned pregnancy. Hence, it seems unlikely that reducing substance use will result in substantially fewer abortions. [source] Boyfriends, Girlfriends and Teenagers' Risk of Sexual InvolvementPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 2 2006Barbara VanOss Marín CONTEXT: Having a boyfriend or girlfriend, especially an older one, is associated with increased sexual risk in early adolescence. The mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. METHODS: Middle school students in Northern California were surveyed annually from 1997 to 2000. For a sample of 1,214 males and 1,308 females who were sexually inexperienced in seventh grade, logistic and linear regression were used to explore associations between relationship status in seventh grade and sexual activity in ninth grade, controlling for sixth-grade and eighth-grade characteristics. RESULTS: Males who had had a girlfriend their age by seventh grade were more likely than those who had had no relationship to report sexual activity in ninth grade (odds ratio, 2.1). Similarly, for females, the odds of being sexually active in ninth grade were elevated among those who had had a boyfriend their age (2.9); however, they also were higher among those who had had an older boyfriend than among those who had had one their age (2.1). With sixth-grade risk factors controlled, relationship status in seventh grade remained significant only for females; the association was explained by early menarche and by participation in situations that could lead to sex and riskier peer norms in eighth grade. For males, eighth-grade situations that could lead to sex, Hispanic ethnicity and sixth-grade peer norms explained ninth-grade sexual behavior. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the risk of adolescent sexual activity, parents and communities should encourage youth in middle school, especially females who experience early menarche, to delay serious romantic relationships. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||