Types Of Risky Behaviors Research Articles

Association Between Medication Compliance and Various Risky Behaviors in Patients With Schizophrenia

To investigate the status of medication adherence and various types of risky behaviors of schizophrenia patients in a certain area of western China and to explore accordingly the correlation between the two. A total of 292 667 patients with schizophrenia were enrolled in a follow-up survey between 2006 and 2018. In addition, based on the outcome-wide analysis strategy, a multivariate Cox proportional risk regression model was used to estimate and compare the impact of medication adherence on different types of risky behaviors in schizophrenia patients. In this 13-year prospective cohort, 65 175 patients (31.4%) showed good medication adherence, while 142 394 patients (68.6%) showed poor medication adherence. The incidence rates of various risky behaviors during the follow-up period were as follows, minor nuisances, 12.25%, violation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security (APS law), 3.82%, violation of criminal law, 0.94%, suicide completed, 0.28%, self-harm, 1.42%, and attempted suicide, 0.82%. Schizophrenia patients who had poor medication adherence had higher risks of committing violence against others and self-inflicted injury compared to patients with good medication adherence did, with the associated effects being minor nuisances (hazard ratio [HR]=1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27-1.35), violation of APS law (HR=1.47, 95% CI: 1.38-1.56), violation of criminal law (HR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.05-1.31), and self-harm (HR=1.43, 95% CI: 1.32-1.56), respectively, while the risk of suicide completed is lower in schizophrenia patients with poor medication adherence than that in patients with good medication adherence (HR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.47-0.66). There was no statistically significant association between attempted suicide and medication adherence. There are variations in the direction and strength of the association between medication adherence and different types of risky behaviors and further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of the association.

Behavioral and Neural Trajectories of Risk Taking for Peer and Parent in Adolescence.

One feature of adolescence is a rise in risk-taking behaviors, whereby the consequences of adolescents' risky action often impact their immediate surrounding such as their peers and parents (vicarious risk taking). Yet, little is known about how vicarious risk taking develops, particularly depending on who the risk affects and the type of risky behavior. In a 3-wave longitudinal fMRI study, 173 adolescents completed 1-3 years of a risky decision-making task where they took risks to win money for their best friend and parent (n with behavioral and fMRI data ranges from 139-144 and 100-116 participants, respectively, per wave). Results of this preregistered study suggest that adolescents did not differentially take adaptive (sensitivity to the expected value of reward during risk taking) and general (decision-making when the expected values of risk taking and staying safe are equivalent) risks for their best friend and parent from sixth to ninth grade. At the neural level, preregistered ROI analyses revealed no differences in the ventral striatum and ventromedial pFC during general nor adaptive risk taking for best friend versus parent over time. Furthermore, exploratory longitudinal whole-brain analyses revealed subthreshold differences between best friend and parent trajectories within regulatory regions during general vicarious risk taking and social-cognitive regions during adaptive vicarious risk taking. Our findings demonstrate that brain regions implicated in cognitive control and social-cognitive processes may distinguish behaviors involving peers and parents over time.

Childhood Adversity and Risky Behaviors among Chinese Rural Young Adults: The Mediation Effect of Perceived Stress and Moderation Effect of Social Support.

Research has documented that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) significantly impact young people’s risky behaviors. Yet, few studies have explored if individuals’ perceived stress mediates the association between ACEs and risky behaviors; also if social support moderates the pathways from ACEs to risky behaviors through perceived stress. This study aimed to assess the mediation effect of perceived stress and the moderation effect of social support in the study of ACEs and risky behaviors. This study sample includes 1091 Chinese rural young people. A web-based survey was used to assess demographic information, ACEs, perceived stress, social support, and seven types of risky behaviors. Multivariate regression models were run to test associations between ACEs and different risky behaviors while controlling for confounding variables. The mediation model (Model 4) and the moderated mediation model (Model 58) were also performed using the PROCESS macro. Multivariate regression results showed that, with increasing ACEs values, there was an increased likelihood of all risky behaviors. The moderated mediation analysis confirmed that perceived stress mediated the linkage between ACEs and risky behaviors. However, no significant moderating effect of social support was found. The study findings indicate that ACEs, risky behaviors, and perceived stress are significant public health problems among rural Chinese young people. Culturally appropriate prevention and intervention programs and services need to be implemented to address these issues and promote rural Chinese young people’s wellbeing and development.

Elucidating the Association Between Military Sexual Trauma Types and Different Types of Risky Behaviors

ABSTRACT Military sexual harassment (MSH) and assault (MSA) are associated with serious mental and physical health outcomes among military personnel and veterans. However, less is known about how these experiences relate to risky, impulsive, and health-compromising behaviors. The goal of the current study was to assess MSH and MSA in relation to a wide range of risky behaviors. Participants were 512 veterans in the community (M age = 41.36, 71.3% male, 71.3% white) who completed an online survey via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Compared to veterans who reported MSH only or no history of MST, veterans with a MSA history reported greater past-month risky behavior engagement, both overall and for specific behaviors, including problematic use of alcohol, drugs, gambling, technology, risky sexual behaviors, eating behaviors, illegal behaviors, reckless spending, physically aggressive behaviors, verbally aggressive behaviors, property destruction, reckless driving, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicidal behavior. Our findings emphasize the importance of differentiating between MSH and MSA when detecting and intervening with veterans at risk for engaging in risky behaviors.

606 Is Social Media Contributing to a New Trend of Burns in Youth?

Abstract Introduction Burn injuries in adolescents in the United States continue to occur at significant rates despite the many different programs focused on burn education and prevention. With the introduction of social media earlier in life and more social media targeting younger populations, our burn center has experienced a new class of burn injury: risky behavior promoted or encouraged as part of gaining social media popularity. Adolescents are likely the most vulnerable population in this type of risky behavior because of their access to social media and their willingness and ability to attempt the challenges, but younger children can also be burnt as bystanders or recruited participants by older minors. This study seeks to understand the content in social media which may lead to this risky behavior in minors. Methods We performed a term search in a popular social media application (TikTok) which included “burn”, “fire”, and “fire challenge””. We screened the top 50 most popular videos for each word search. Only videos which included footage of a person or body part being set on fire whether real or through a hologram or filters. We excluded videos showing professionals use fire (i.e. cooks, entertainers, welders, artisans), video game characters, videos with no body parts on fire. Metrics included in the social media were number of likes and number of views, as well as date posted. Results Six hundred and twelve videos were screened (153 videos in each search term category). A total of 20 (3.2%) of videos contained a demonstration of a risky behavior with fire. The most common content was four videos (20%) were the subject was setting one hand on fire. Two videos were pranks involving burning the pranked. Sixteen videos (80%) involved real fire and 4 (20%) involved a hologram of fire. The “likes” on the videos ranged from 1.9 million to 189. The comments ranged from 0 to 11,200. All of the authors were young adolescents or young adults. The videos had been there from 6 weeks to 21 months. Conclusions TikTok is a fast way to disseminate videos a large number of viewers. The majority of videos with content of risky behavior around fire are of individuals which are playing with fire or simulating playing with fire and often have no other overt agenda but to want attention and popularity. A minority of these videos are purposefully spreading risky behavior around fire as a “challenge” or “trend” to be copied by other TikTok viewers.

PEER PRESSURE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ADOLESCENT RISK BEHAVIORS

Understanding the factors associated with adolescent risk behaviors is an important research topic in Serbia. The aim of this study was to examine whether peer pressure and academic achievement predict adolescent risk behaviours such as cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, marijuana use and unprotected sex. The data was collected from 181 (68% female) second-grade students of two secondary schools. The questionnaire for assessing peer pressure, risk behaviors, as well as socio-demographic variables was applied. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the perceived peer pressure and academic achievement both predict various types of risky behaviors among adolescents. The findings of this study can have implications for improving the prevention of risk-taking behaviors in adolescence.

Equal Tax for Equal Alcohol? Beverage Types and Antisocial and Unlawful Behaviours

Alcohol taxation is one of the main policy instruments used by governments around the world to correct for market failures and negative externalities that are associated with excessive alcohol consumption. This paper makes an important contribution to the discussion on alcohol policy interventions by providing empirical evidence linking alcohol beverage types to harmful and unlawful drinking behaviours. In particular, we look at two types of risky behaviours when intoxicated: (1) drink driving, and 2) hazardous, disturbing or abusive behaviour (operate a boat/machinery; created a public disturbance/nuisance; caused damage to property; stole money, goods or property; and verbally or physically abused someone); and their association with ten alcoholic beverages. We use individual-level data from a national representative survey and different modelling strategies that allow us to examine various scenarios, including the influence of observed and unobserved individual attributes. Overall, we find regular strength beer, canned Ready-To-Drink (pre-mixed spirits) as the main contributors, and mid strength beer, cask wine and bottled spirits and liqueurs, and bottled wine as the second-order contributors. Of all harmful beverage types, cask wine appears to be significantly under-taxed despite its external costs to the society. We also note the external costs of regular and mid strength beer are as high as those of pre-mixed drinks and yet there is a significant disparity across their tax rates.

1.3 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RISKY BEHAVIOR AND GENDER: EVIDENCE FROM LEBANON

Adolescence is a crucial period of transition from childhood to adulthood, when individuals undergo a rapid developmental period that impacts their social, physical, and mental growth. Many adolescents begin to engage in risky behaviors that lead to behavioral patterns that result in large-scale negative impacts on short- and long-term health outcomes, as well as contribute to leading causes of mortality and morbidity in adolescents. Lebanon is a country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region with a uniquely diverse population that is varied in religion, socioeconomic status, education, and culture. Currently, there are many studies that assess the association between one type of risky behavior and gender in Lebanon, but there are limited data available on the effect of gender on multiple determinants of risky behavior. This study aims to investigate the potential differences in risky behaviors between female and male Lebanese adolescents.

Assessing the relationship between self-reported driving behaviors and driver risk using a naturalistic driving study

The Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) identifies risky driving behaviors resulting from psychological mechanisms. Investigating the relationships between these behaviors and drivers’ crash risk can provide a better understanding of the personal factors contributing to the incidence of crashes, allowing the more effective development of safety education and road management countermeasures and interventions. The objectives of this study are therefore: 1) to determine the extent to which driver involvement in both crashes and near crashes (CNCs) is related to self-reported driving behaviors, and 2) to assess the relationship between each type of risky behavior and individual driver CNC risk. Driver and crash data were acquired from the Shanghai Naturalistic Driving Study and included 45 males and 12 females, participants with the mean age of 38.7. A K-mean cluster method was adopted to classify participants into three CNC groups of high-, moderate- and low-risk drivers. Drivers completed the DBQ to self-evaluate the frequency during their daily driving of the questionnaire’s 24 risky behaviors. Principal component analysis of the 24 items led to a five-component structure including aggressive violations, ordinary violations, lapses, inattention errors, and inexperience errors. Two logistic regression models were developed to investigate the correlation between the five DBQ components and drivers’ CNC levels. Conclusions are as follows: 1) high-risk drivers were significantly more likely to have engaged in inattention errors (e.g., missing a “yield” sign) and ordinary violations (e.g., running a red light) than the other drivers, and, 2) aggressive violations (e.g., racing against others) and ordinary violations were positively related to the probability of being a high- or moderate-risk driver.

Student’s Territorial Mobility (Example of Yekaterinburg

Territorial mobility today is one of the key issues in the system of distribution and redistribution of human resources in a particular state. In search of their place in the new digital society, young people are striving to live urban society, in which mechanisms of communication are being developed, and interactions with various social groups have been intensified. Dialogueness of the urban environment, sociocultural heterogeneity and intellectual spiritual life attract the younger generation, setting the coordinates of its territorial mobility, which becomes a marker of the economic, socio-cultural and educational potential of a given territory. The research methodology combined both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The primary data was collected using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Two hundred respondents—bachelor students were questioned on the basis of quota sampling. Depths interviews with 8 experts were conducted in order to identify key issues of students’ territorial mobility. The research was conducted in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, in Russia. The study has revealed that 42% of the students plan to make territorial displacement after receiving a bachelor's degree. At the same time 10.0% of the respondents would like to travel outside of Russia. The students believe that territorial mobility is associated with meeting a wide range of needs that cannot be fully met in an urban environment of Yekaterinburg. In addition, in the motivational structure of the students’ territorial mobility, the leading positions are occupied by the students’ desire for independence, as well as for idealization/ iconization of the city image in which they plan to live. Our respondents note that St. Petersburg and Moscow are the most attractive cities for them. The constraining factor of students’ territorial mobility is the reproduction of social connections and relations in the current residence area. Students consider mobility as a type of risky behavior.

Parent and peer relationships as longitudinal predictors of adolescent non-suicidal self-injury onset

BackgroundAdolescence is characterized by developmental changes in social relationships, which may contribute to, or protect against, psychopathology and risky behaviors. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is one type of risky behavior that typically begins during adolescence and is associated with problems in relationships with family members and peers. Prior research on social factors in adolescent NSSI has been limited, however, by a narrow focus on specific interpersonal domains, cross-sectional methods, retrospective self-report of childhood experiences, and a failure to predict NSSI onset among as-yet-unaffected youth.MethodsWe investigated these relationships in 2127 urban-living adolescent girls with no NSSI history at age 13, who were participating in a longitudinal cohort study (Pittsburgh Girls Study). We used discrete-time survival analyses to examine the contribution of time-varying interpersonal risk factors, assessed yearly at ages 13–16, to NSSI onset assessed in the following year (ages 14–17), controlling for relevant covariates, such as depression and race. We considered both behavioral indicators (parental discipline, positive parenting, parental monitoring, peer victimization), and cognitive/affective indicators (quality of attachment to parent, perceptions of peers, and perceptions of one’s own social competence and worth in relation to peers) of interpersonal difficulties.ResultsParental harsh punishment, low parental monitoring, and poor quality of attachment to parent predicted increased odds of subsequent adolescent NSSI onset, whereas positive parenting behaviors reduced the odds of next year NSSI onset. Youth who reported more frequent peer victimization, poorer social self-worth and self-competence, and more negative perceptions of peers were also at increased risk of NSSI onset in the following year. When tested simultaneously, no single parenting variable showed a unique association with later NSSI onset; in contrast, peer victimization and poor social self-worth each predicted increased odds of later NSSI onset in an omnibus model of peer and parent relationship characteristics.ConclusionsIn this urban sample of adolescent girls, both peer and parent factors predicted new onset NSSI, although only peer factors were associated with subsequent NSSI in combined multivariate models. Results further suggest that both behavioral and cognitive/affective indicators of interpersonal problems predict NSSI onset. These findings highlight the relevance of family and peer relationships to NSSI onset, with implications for prevention of NSSI onset among at-risk youth.

The Relationship of Early Maladaptive Schemas and Anticipated Risky Behaviors in College Students

The developmental transition from adolescence to adulthood, a period of time known as emerging adulthood, is marked by great personal growth and interpersonal maturation (Arnett, Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties, Oxford University Press, New York, 2004). Risk-taking behaviors are seen as a significant impediment to positive development during emerging adulthood. However, few researchers have examined how underlying cognitive processes contribute to the development and exacerbation of risk-taking behaviors at this time. In the current study, we examined the multivariate associations between early maladaptive schemas (disconnection and rejection, impaired autonomy, impaired limits, other-directedness, overvigilance, and inhibition) and expected involvement in five indices of risky behaviors for college women (n = 341) and college men (n = 143). Gender-specific patterns emerged in the prediction of different risk-behavior indices. Early maladaptive schemas accounted for 24% of the variance in men’s anticipated engagement in risky sexual behavior (vs. 9% of women’s). Early maladaptive schemas accounted for 20% of the variance in women’s anticipated engagement in both academic/work and illegal/aggressive risky behaviors (vs. 11 and 9% of men’s). In addition, unique schema domains differentially predicted variance in risky sexual, illicit drug use, heavy drinking, and aggressive/illegal risk behavior for each gender. Gender-sensitive and schema-specific prevention efforts for different types of risky behaviors, often present during emerging adulthood, may be warranted.

Links Between Childhood Exposure to Violent Contexts and Risky Adolescent Health Behaviors

PurposeTo assess whether childhood exposure to violent contexts is prospectively associated with risky adolescent health behavior and whether these associations are specific to different contexts of violence and different types of risky behavior. MethodsData come from 2,684 adolescents in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a population-based birth cohort study of children born between 1998 and 2000 in 20 large American cities. Using logistic regression models, we evaluate whether exposure to 6 indicators of community violence and 7 indicators of family violence at ages 5 and 9 is associated with risky sexual behavior, substance use, and obesity risk behavior at age 15. ResultsControlling for a range of adolescent, parent, and neighborhood covariates, each additional point on the community violence scale is associated with 8% higher odds of risky sexual behavior but not substance use or obesity risk behavior. Alternatively, each additional point on the family violence scale is associated with 20% higher odds of substance use but not risky sexual behavior or obesity risk behavior. ConclusionsChildhood exposure to violent contexts is associated with risky adolescent health behaviors, but the associations are context and behavior specific. After including covariates, we find no association between childhood exposure to violent contexts and obesity risk behavior.

Studentų rizikingo elgesio ir aštrių pojūčių siekio sąsajos

Straipsnyje pristatomi tyrimo, kuriuo siekta išsiaiškinti įvairių rizikingo elgesio tipų paplitimo tarp stu­dentų ypatumus ir rizikingo elgesio bei aštrių pojūčių siekio sąsajas, rezultatai. Apklausti 664 studentai iš 8 Lietuvos universitetų. Apklaustų studentų amžiaus vidurkis 20,4 metų (SD = 2,21), 76 proc. jų mote­rys, 24 proc. – vyrai. Tyrime naudotas specialiai sukurtas klausimynas, skirtas 12 rizikingo elgesio tipų, ir Aštrių pojūčių siekio skalės penktoji versija (SSS-V, Sensation Seeking Scale, Form V, Zuckerman, 2007). Tyrimas atskleidė, kad 94,7 proc. studentų būdingas rizikingas elgesys. Dažniausiai paplitęs elgesys – didelio alkoholio kiekio vartojimas vienu metu. Antroje vietoje yra važiavimas su apsvaigusiu nuo al­koholio vairuotoju. Apie trečdaliui studentų būdingas rūkymas, dažnas alkoholio vartojimas, narkotikų vartojimas, ekstremalus sportas, nesaugūs lytiniai santykiai, SMS žinučių rašymas vairuojant. Rečiausiai paplitęs rizikingas elgesys – daugiau nei du sekso partneriai per metus. Nustatyta, kad visi rizikingo elge­sio tipai yra susiję tarpusavyje. Vienas rizikingo elgesio tipas būdingas 11,3 proc. studentų. Beveik pusei studentų (49 proc.) būdingi 2–4 rizikingo elgesio tipai, o daugiau nei trečdaliui (34,5 proc.) būdingi penki ir daugiau rizikingo elgesio tipų.Studentai, kuriems būdingi įvairūs rizikingo elgesio tipai, gauna didesnius aštrių pojūčių siekio skalės balus. Labiau išreikštas aštrių pojūčių siekis prognozuoja didesnį asmeniui būdingų rizikingo elgesio tipų skaičių. Tyrimo rezultatai leidžia teigti, kad aštrių pojūčių siekis yra asmenybės matmuo, kuris gali būti naudojamas prognozuoti ne tik studentams būdingo rizikingo elgesio kiekį, bet ir atskirų rizikingo el­gesio tipų apraiškas, kaip antai narkotikų vartojimas ir užsiėmimas ekstremaliu sportu. Aštrių pojūčių siekio įvertinimas leidžia pasirinkti tinkamus tiek prevencijos, tiek ankstyvosios intervencijos metodus.

Minimum wages and youth binge drinking

Binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including unintentional injuries, intentional injuries (e.g., domestic violence, sexual assault), unintended pregnancy, and liver disease. Moreover, high-volume episodic binge drinking is very prevalent among teenagers and young adults. Given that approximately 90 % of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the USA is in the form of binge drinking (Murphy et al. in Addict Res Theory 20(6):456–465, 2012), understanding the determinants of binge drinking behavior, particularly among youth, is important from the perspective of health and policy. In this paper, we explore the relationship between youth binge drinking and an unanticipated determinate of this behavior, minimum wage laws. Using a fixed effects regression model, we observe a positive relationship between minimum wage increases and binge drinking among teenagers. We find that, after accounting for demographic characteristics, different types of risky behaviors, excise tax, state and time fixed effects, and time-varying state effects, a $1 increase in minimum wage increases binge drinking among teenagers by approximately 9 %. Our results support recent findings that minimum wage increases are positively associated with alcohol-related accidents among teenagers (Adam et al. in Rev Econ Stat 94(3):828–840, 2012). Findings suggest that authorities should consider the unexpected impacts that minimum wage increase may have on alcohol consumption among teens and consider parallel policies to help mitigate potential negative consequences.

Comparative Analysis of Risky Behaviors of Electric Bicycles at Signalized Intersections

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to compare the risky behaviors of e-bike, e-scooter, and bicycle riders as they were crossing signalized intersections.Methods: Pearson's chi-square test was used to identify whether there were significant differences in the risky behaviors among e-bike, e-scooter, and bicycle riders. Binary logit models were developed to evaluate how various variables affected the behaviors of 2-wheeled vehicle riders at signalized intersections. Field data collection was conducted at 13 signalized intersections in 2 cities (Nanjing and Kunming) in China.Results: Three different types of risky behaviors were identified, including stop beyond the stop line, riding in motorized lanes, and riding against traffic. Two-wheeled vehicle riders’ gender and age and traffic conditions were significantly associated with the behaviors of 2-wheeled vehicle riders at the selected signalized intersections.Conclusions: Compared to e-bike and bicycle riders, e-scooter riders are more likely to take risky behaviors. More specifically, they are more likely to ride in motorized lanes and ride against traffic.

Adolescent sex education in India: Current perspectives.

Byline: Shajahan. Ismail, Ashika. Shajahan, T. Sathyanarayana Rao, Kevan. Wylie Sex education is defined as a broad program that aims to build a strong foundation for lifelong sexual health by acquiring information and attitudes, beliefs and values about one's identity, relationships, and intimacy. Sexual health is considered to be a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity as defined by the WHO.[sup][1] Psychological and sociocultural influences in the delivery of this education can increase the likelihood of effectiveness. Primarily, during adolescence (10–19 years) its provision is a crucial preventative tool, as it is the opportune time when young people experience developmental changes in their physiology and behavior as they enter adulthood.[sup][2] The complex emotional state in which youth find themselves in, stigma surrounding matters of a sexual nature in the Indian society and widespread gender inequality faced makes it increasingly challenging for adolescents to attain the knowledge they need. Through what is termed “family life education” (FLE), we can hope to teach the roles and responsibilities of males and females toward each other in all relationships in familial and social contexts, thus endowing the knowledge necessary to maintain sexual health as they navigate through the vulnerabilities of life.[sup][2] However, the existence of strong stigma and controversy handicaps any existing adolescent health programs, with them being incomprehensive and failing to fully address the main health issues adolescents are vulnerable to. These include several negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes,[sup][3] such as early and closely spaced pregnancy, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infection (STI), HIV/AIDS, and sexual violence, the rates of which are already increasing at a disturbing rate. Need for Sexual Education for Indian Adolescents The importance of delivery of sex education in a timely fashion to this significant demographic is emphasized by current statistics that show that almost one in every fifth person on the globe is an adolescent.[sup][4] They comprise 18% (1.2 billion) of world's population in 2009, with 88% living in developing countries. India has the largest adolescent population (243 million with more than 50% of the adolescent population living in urban areas). These figures indicate the importance of specifically addressing the healthcare needs of this considerable demographic, particularly for the developing countries such as India.[sup][5] Recent literature suggests that at this time they are highly likely to experiment and engage in the types of risky behaviors that have the potential to influence the quality of health and probability of survival in both short- and long-term over their lifetime. Therefore, meeting the needs of such a vulnerable group and overcoming existing shortcomings in the delivery of tailored primary preventative measures would significantly improve the survival and general health conditions, nutritional status, and sexual and reproductive health of the future Indian adult population.[sup][6] This encompasses issues such as early pregnancy, unsafe abortions, STIs including HIV, and sexual abuse and violence. The Current Scenario in Clinical Settings The sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents [sup][7],[8],[9],[10] in India are currently overlooked or are not understood by the Indian healthcare system. This could be owing to the lack of knowledge of scientific evidence along with the gross unpreparedness of the public health system. Healthcare professionals often lack the knowledge themselves that impacts upon imparting information to the adolescent population who seek it. Often comprehensive sexual histories are not taken, and sexual health is not openly discussed due to cultural and traditional norms in society. …

Day Parties, Drug Abuse, HIV/AIDS Transmission and Unintended Pregnancy: Among School Teenagers

Objectives: To investigate the impact of teenagers day party and practices of alcohol and substance abuse on the health of teens and to examine the relationship between teenagers’ day party events and risky behavior. This study sought to clarify the types of risky behavior and substances used before, during and after the event. Method: A written survey was administered to students aged 15–17 years in two selected high schools in Addis Ababa. The study method adopts mixed research design with various data triangulation methods. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection tools and analysis techniques were used. Result: Of the 284 sample participants 86% of them are visiting day party for the sake of having fun and to experiment alcohol and other substances freely and considered the event as an opportunity to do this. Day party event was strongly correlated with teenagers’ risky behavior as indicated r=0.89. Chewing chat (38%), drinking alcohol (36.2%) and smoking cigarette and ganja (32.7%) were identified the most commonly substance use before, during and after the event. Of the samples, 77.11% were reported to have school absenteeism the next day of the party event. Female teenagers were found to perceive their high level of vulnerability to health related problems than do males teenagers’ for T=0.002, P<0.05 with 95% of CI. Conclusion: Although this study has been done with a non-representative sample it was possible to identify the characteristics and practices of teenagers in the day party event. It was also possible to identify the standard use of drugs, and substances in the event were the common fashions and efforts were made to evaluate some of the high risk behaviors for both males and females. The relationship between the use of psycho-active substances and risky behavior are found to be directly correlated. Findings from this study can be used to design an intervention strategy how to organize healthy and monitored day party events. This fact can be a way to discuss the insertion of the drug thematic in the various courses offered at high and junior high schools. Besides it could help to make effective the planning of policies for the prevention in the school context.

EASING THE PAIN OF AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN: MACROECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Individuals can react to financial stress in a variety of ways, such as reducing discretionary spending or engaging in risky behaviors. This article investigates the effect of changing macroeconomic conditions (measured by the unemployment rate in the state of residence) on one type of risky behavior: excessive alcohol consumption. Using unique and recent panel data from waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) and estimating fixed-effects models, we find that changes in the unemployment rate are positively related to changes in binge drinking, alcohol-involved driving, and alcohol abuse and/or dependence. Some differences are present among demographic groups, primarily in the magnitude of the estimated effects. These results contradict previous studies and suggest that problematic drinking may be an indirect and unfortunate consequence of an economic downturn.

Death by Motorcycle: Background, Behavioral, and Situational Correlates of Fatal Motorcycle Collisions*,†

Motorcycle fatalities in the United States continue to increase on both crude and adjusted bases. This paper examines fatal motorcycle accidents as a cause of death, using a retrospective analysis of motorcycle operator fatalities from 2003 to 2008 in the state of Indiana. During these six years, out of more than 18,000 motorcycle operators in crashes, 601 were killed. Based on police report data, motorcycle operators during this period are examined to reveal key factors that are in place when a motorcyclist is killed in a collision. The major correlates of death identified were objects of impact, risky behaviors, and speed. The largest positive effects on the chances of death were linked to trees, posts-signs-poles, bridge-guardrail-median, and other motor vehicles. In conjunction with speed, these objects were the primary mechanisms by which fatal injuries were sustained by motorcyclists. Various types of risky behavior were also major correlates of death by motorcycle.