Guidance for professionals in health promotion: Keeping it simple–but not too simple

Abstract

People with haemophilia have been infected by HIV through blood products required for the treatment of their bleeds. In a recent study in Scotland their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and their behavioural changes were explored. It was found that people with severe haemophilia were better informed about HIV and AIDS than the mildly/moderately affected, bur only the knowledge of precautions in mildly/moderately affected patients was positively associated with their change of sexual practices. Mildly/moderately affected patients, who were less at risk of contracting HIV, reduced their treatment more than the severely affected patients. Only one third of patients applied safe-sex practices and a greater proportion of those who did not were single men, some of them HIV antibody positive.     

Sex and the Right to HIV/AIDS Education in Early Childhood

This study explored how early childhood teachers (n=5) and young children (n=174) (age range 7 to 8 years; males = 81; females = 93) in two primary schools constructed and interpreted the right to HIV/AIDS education. Data were captured using individual interviews with teachers and group interviews with young children. Analysis of the data showed that teachers viewed young children's right to health information positively but did not consider the right to sexual information. Teachers operated within discourses which upheld the image of the child as innocent requiring protection from sexual knowledge. Children's perceptions of their rights to knowledge of sex in HIV/AIDS education showed ambiguity. Some accepted the right to know whilst others felt that knowledge about HIV/AIDS was inconsistent with childhood innocence.     

Knowledge,beliefs, peer norms,and past behaviors as correlates of risky sexual behaviors among college students

Abstract

HIV/AIDS knowledge, age at onset of sexual activity, perceptions of personal risk and peer norms were explored as correlates for risky sexual behaviors among college students. Ninety-nine male and 185 female college students completed a 66-item questionnaire. A majority reported being sexually active with most in mutually monogamous relationships or not currently in a sexual relationship. Multiple regression correlation analyses showed knowledge about HIV/AIDS to be very high but that this knowledge did not independently relate to the extent of risky behaviors. Perceptions of risk were positively related to number of partners and single-time partners but not condom usage. In contrast to previous studies, perceived peer norms did not independently relate to behaviors. Instead, age at first intercourse was found to have substantial overlap with current perceptions, attitudes, and likelihood for engaging in risky behaviors. The necessity for including previous behaviors in analyses of the impact of attitudes and perceived norms on behavioral intentions is discussed.     

Information and attitudes about HIV/AIDS in Portuguese adolescents: state of art and changes in a four year period

The incidence of infection with HIV/AIDS among the heterosexual population has been increasing in young adults. The goal of this research was to deepen knowledge of preventive sexual behavior in Portuguese adolescents, including knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS, and assessing whether they changed from 2002 to 2006. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire from the Portuguese sample of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC), a collaborative WHO study. The study provides national representative data of 7093 Portuguese adolescents, randomly chosen from those attending 8th and 10th grade of high school. Results showed there was an increase in the age of first sexual intercourse and a decrease in the number of teenagers who reported having had sexual intercourse, also in the level of information regarding HIV/AIDS transmission/prevention and in positive attitudes towards people with HIV/AIDS. In general, adolescents have good knowledge about how to protect themselves from becoming infected. However, comparing to 2002, there was a reduction of knowledge and consequent increase in the doubts regarding HIV/AIDS. Given the incipient state of sex education in 2006, the results cannot be attributed to sex education, but they will be relevant for comparison with the 2010 HBSC results.     

Scaling a motor skill through observation and practice

The authors examined the proposal that a motor skill is scaled through physical practice and not through observation of a model. In 4 groups, participants (N = 32) did or did not imitate a model bowling a ball to a target 8 m away. In an assessment phase, those groups did or did not observe the same model bowling a ball to a target 4 m away. Participants who viewed a model in the assessment phase were more accurate and consistent in terms of bowling accuracy than were those who did not. Their shoulder and wrist velocity profiles were more similar to those of the 4-m model than were those of the no-model group. Participants who had previous practice and viewed a demonstration were more accurate at scaling the wrist of the bowling arm. Observing a demonstration facilitates the acquisition of control-related features of a movement. Furthermore, early acquisition of coordination aids the use of velocity information for scaling the endpoint of the primary effector.     

We're Here,We're Queer,We're on TV: The Effects of Visual Media on Heterosexuals' Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians1

Effects of visual media on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians were investigated by exposing 3 groups of participants to a brief video. The first group viewed an anti‐gay video. the second group viewed a pro‐gay video, and a comparison group viewed a neutral video. Participants attitudes were measured immediately following the video after seeing the video, participants were contacted by telephone. and their attitudes were again assessed. Participants were not aware of the connection between the follow‐up assessment and the initial video exposure. At follow‐up. participants attitudes were significantly different. with attitudes with the pro‐gay video group being most positive, and those in the anti‐gay video group being most negative.     

The dispositional inference strikes back: situational focus and dispositional suppression in causal attribution

The authors propose that correction of dispositional inferences involves the examination of situational constraints and the suppression of dispositional inferences. They hypothesized that suppression would result in dispositional rebound. In Study 1, participants saw a video of either a free or a forced speaker. Participants shown a forced speaker later made stronger dispositional inferences about a 2nd, free speaker than control participants did. Study 2 provided evidence for higher rebound among participants who reported trying harder to suppress dispositional inferences during the 1st video. In Study 3, participants were asked to focus on situational constraints or to avoid thinking about the speaker's characteristics. Only the latter instructions led to a dispositional rebound. These data support the view that the correction of dispositional inferences involves 2 processes that lead to distinct consequences in subsequent attribution work.     

Correlates of loneliness as perceived by the terminally Ill

The pain of loneliness is a universal social phenomenon, which is intensified by a diagnosis of a terminal illness. The present study investigated the causes of loneliness as perceived by HIV/AIDS patients, those diagnosed with cancer, and the general population. Forty-three HIV/AIDS patients, 38 cancer patients, and 53 participants from the general population answered a 29 item questionnaire. Results indicated that with the exception of social marginality, those afflicted with HIV/AIDS perceived the causes of their loneliness to be significantly different from those of the other two samples. Secondly, cancer patients and subjects from the general population did not differ significantly in the perceived causes of their loneliness. The author thanks Dr. Joe Regan, Fabio Belpulsi, Joann Bennett, Yvone Peterson, and Gina Ramberan for their invaluable assistance.     

Correlates of loneliness as perceived by the terminally Ill

The pain of loneliness is a universal social phenomenon, which is intensified by a diagnosis of a terminal illness. The present study investigated the causes of loneliness as perceived by HIV/AIDS patients, those diagnosed with cancer, and the general population. Forty-three HIV/AIDS patients, 38 cancer patients, and 53 participants from the general population answered a 29 item questionnaire. Results indicated that with the exception of social marginality, those afflicted with HIV/AIDS perceived the causes of their loneliness to be significantly different from those of the other two samples. Secondly, cancer patients and subjects from the general population did not differ significantly in the perceived causes of their loneliness. The author thanks Dr. Joe Regan, Fabio Belpulsi, Joann Bennett, Yvone Peterson, and Gina Ramberan for their invaluable assistance.     

Empathy,Knowledge, and Personal Distress as Correlates of HIV‐/AIDS‐Related Stigmatization and Discrimination

This study investigated the influence of empathy, knowledge, and personal distress on HIV‐/AIDS‐related stigmatization and discrimination in a normal population (N = 346). Participants ranging in age from 18 to 69 years responded to a validated questionnaire. The results showed a significant main and joint influence of empathy, knowledge, and personal distress on stigmatization and discrimination. Stigmatization and discrimination are thus identified as great obstacles in the fight against and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Stakeholders in the HIV/AIDS arena should embark on mass education to increase knowledge of HIV/AIDS; also attitudinal change programs should be initiated, while health institutions should be effectively monitored to ensure best practices.     

What do pre-adolescents and adolescents understand about HIV/AIDS?

Abstract

Pre-adolescents and adolescents (N= 80, aged 10, 12, 15, and 18 years) were tested on their knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Knowledge was assessed using a self-report questionnaire (examining levels of factual knowledge) and a semi-structured interview (examining cognitive developmental levels of understanding). Examination of the developmental shifts in understanding of HIV/AIDS revealed an increase in conceptual complexity on causal and prevention dimensions. The main conceptual changes included a shift from single cause to multiple cause solutions and a shift from identifying surface or immediate features to implicating less salient features. Additionally, with age, concepts about HIV/AIDS were increasingly organised around internal, physiological principles. Questionnaire responses yielded significant age-related increases in knowledge. Level of knowledge, as measured by the questionnaire, was higher than that assessed by the interview for the three youngest age groups. Thus, factual information acquired about HIV/AIDS is not automatically accompanied by understanding. In light of these findings the past conclusion that adolescents have high levels of knowledge of HIV/AIDS is questioned.     

Perspective Taking as a Means of Reducing Negative Stereotyping of Individuals Who Speak English as a Second Language1

As a test of the hypothesis that perspective taking reduces stereotyping of individuals who speak English as a second language, 160 college students participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment. Participants heard an audio recording of either a native or non‐native speaker of English. Then, they wrote a paragraph about the speaker either with instructions to take the speaker's perspective or with no perspective‐taking instructions. Finally, they rated the speaker on characteristics related to ability and accomplishment. Overall, the participants rated the native speaker of English more highly than the non‐native speaker. However, supporting the hypothesis, participants instructed to take the perspective of the non‐native speaker rated her more highly than did participants not instructed to take her perspective.     

An Evaluation of an HIV/AIDS Prevention Program in a Nigerian Setting

The study examined the success of a group based behavioural intervention with Nigerian youths aimed at reducing the risk of contracting and spreading HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted illness (STI). Participants were 147 youths (males=75, females=72, age range 5 to 24 years). The study explored the influence of motivational factors (self efficacy), attitudinal factors (perceived personal risk), knowledge (instrumental knowledge of AIDS) and behavioural factors (refusal of high-risk behaviour) in predicting condom use amongst youth participating in a group-based HIV prevention intervention. Findings indicated that the intervention program reliably predicted participants' attitudinal dispositions to high risk heterosexual behaviour. Instrumental knowledge of HIV/AIDS, perceived self-efficacy, perceived personal risk of HIV/AIDS and refusal of risk behaviour were significant predictors of condom use.     

Psychological distress and quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS in a Nigerian teaching hospital

Presence of psychological distress and poor quality of life (QoL) may affect the outcome of HIV/AIDS. One hundred and seventeen consecutive and consenting participants were interviewed using a Socio-demographic questionnaire, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-HIV Bref. Fifty-six (47.9%) participants scored 20 and above on K10 Scale. QoL was significantly higher in married participants, those who perceived their state of health as being good, asymptomatic participants and those who scored well–mild on K10. The older age group scored higher on QoL Scale than the younger age group in the physical health domain while the married participants scored higher in the domains of physical health, psychological health, environment and spiritual/religion. The participants who perceived their state of health as being good scored higher than those who perceived their health as poor in all domains. There is a high level of psychological distress and poor QoL in people living with HIV/AIDS.     

The accuracy–confidence relationship in an eyewitness task: anxiety as a modifier

The present study investigated the role of anxiety as a moderator of the relationship between accuracy and confidence in an eyewitness recall task. Participants selected as high or low anxious on a test anxiety scale viewed a video clip of a crime. One week later they answered verbally a series of questions about the video, rating their confidence in each answer. Observers were shown a video-recording of each participant's test session and rated how confident they appeared overall. It was argued that people high in test anxiety would appraise their performance to a greater degree than low-anxious people, resulting in a significant correlation between accuracy and subjective confidence for high-anxious but not for low-anxious participants. The results obtained supported this hypothesis, and found similar relationships between accuracy and perceived confidence. Highly anxious participants expressed less overall confidence in their answers than low anxious participants. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HIV risk perceptions and first sexual intercourse among youth in Cape Town South Africa

CONTEXT: HIV prevalence is high among South African youth. Health behavior models posit that the perceived level of risk of HIV infection is associated with the level of HIV risk behavior; however, there has been limited research in Sub-Saharan Africa on factors associated with perceived risk or on the relationship between perceived risk and risk behaviors. METHODS: Longitudinal data collected in 2002 and 2005 from 3,017 black, colored and white youth in Cape Town, South Africa, were analyzed using multivariate regression to examine whether a reciprocal relationship exists between sexual experience and perceived HIV risk. Independent variables taken from the 2002 survey were used to predict dependent variables taken from the 2005 survey. RESULTS: In 2005, most youth (82% of males and 83% of females) viewed themselves as being at no or small risk of HIV infection. A reciprocal relationship in which higher perceived HIV risk was associated with a delay in sexual debut (odds ratio, 0.8) and sexual experience was associated with higher perceived risk (1.4) was found for females, but not for males. Knowing someone who had died of AIDS was associated with sexual debut and with an elevated perceived HIV risk among females (1.7 and 1.3, respectively). The associations between race and perceived risk of HIV infection varied by gender. CONCLUSIONS: HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs should consider more carefully how gender and race may intersect to influence risk perceptions and risk behaviors. In addition, possible reciprocal relationships between risk behaviors and risk perceptions should be considered in education and intervention programs.     

Using message framing to motivate HIV testing among low-income, ethnic minority women.

This study compared the effectiveness of 4 videotaped educational programs designed to motivate HIV testing among low-income, ethnic minority women. Four hundred eighty women were assigned randomly to watch one of 2 gain-framed or 2 loss-framed videos. Consistent with prospect theory, participants' perceptions of the certainty of the outcome of an HIV test moderated the effects of framing on self-reported testing behavior 6 months after video exposure. Among participants who reported being certain of the test's outcome, those who saw a gain-framed video reported a higher rate of testing than those who saw a loss-framed message. Among women who perceived the outcome of HIV testing as relatively uncertain, gain- and loss-framed videos led to similar rates of self-reported testing, with some advantage for the loss-framed message.     

HIV voluntary counselling and testing among recently initiated and traditionally circumcised men in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) is a cornerstone of the national strategic plan for HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support in South Africa. However, research shows that the utilisation of VCT services is disappointingly low, particular among males. This article focuses on the factors associated with the intention to test for HIV-infection among recently initiated and traditionally circumcised men in the rural areas of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted among 1656 sexually active men. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the association between intention to test for HIV and psychosocial factors. Overall, 35.1% of the participants reported ever having tested for HIV. Intention to test for HIV was positively associated with perceived probability of getting an STI, positive attitudes towards gender-based violence, received general teachings about being a responsible man and highest grade passed. These findings provide specific information that can be used in the development of a focused cultural sensitive STI/HIV prevention programme aimed to increase VCT uptake among sexually active young men, which can be integrated into initiation and health education practices.     

Attitudes toward health-messages: The link between perceived attention and subjective strength

IntroductionMany efforts are invested in promoting healthy attitudes and behaviors; nonetheless there is no clear, definitive evidence of sustained effectiveness of those efforts in all cases.ObjectiveThe present study examined the role of perceived attention in changing attitudes toward vegetable consumption as well as the perceived stability and resistance of those changes (attitude strength).MethodParticipants were randomly assigned to read a strong or weak health communication arguing in favor of vegetable consumption. After reading the message, participants reported attitudes toward this health issue, the perceived attention, and the perceived strength associated with their evaluations.ResultsParticipants who reported high (vs. low) perceived attention showed a greater effect of argument quality on persuasion. Furthermore, such participants also reported stronger attitudes compared to those who reported low perceived attention.ConclusionThis study showed that attitudes toward vegetable consumption can be changed after reading a persuasive message, and that the extent of perceived attention moderated the extent to which those changes were perceived as stable and resistant (stronger attitudes).     

The Interactive Effects of Affective Demeanor,Cognitive Processes,and Perspective-Taking Focus on Helping Behavior

Abstract

The author manipulated affective demeanor (positive or negative) and cognitive processes (positive or negative) displayed by a target person, along with the perspective-taking focus (affect or cognitions) of participants, to assess the unique and interactive effects of those variables on the participants' helping behavior, operationalized as time volunteered to help other students. An ethnically diverse sample (N = 109) of U.S. working adults (mean age = 31.56 years, SD = 8.21) viewed a videotape of a female target talking about returning to college. Participants adopting an affective perspective-taking focus volunteered more time than did those who adopted a cognitive perspective-taking focus. Also, a significant interaction between participants' perspective-taking focus and target's affective demeanor revealed that participants who focused on the target's feelings and who viewed a warm, cheerful target volunteered more time than did the other groups. Moreover, a significant interaction between participants' perspective-taking focus and target's cognitive processes revealed that the participants who focused on the target's feelings and who viewed a confused and unfocused target volunteered more time than did the other groups. The author also discusses the relationship between empathy, personal distress, and helping.