Role of gender in sexual behaviours and response to education in sexually transmitted infections in 17-year-old adolescents

Background: The values we develop in our youth will follow us through life. To study the behavior of young people do not learn us how young people's future will be, but can give us knowledge about how the future can be. Nearly all sexually transmitted diseases is increasing in our country today, many sexually transmitted diseases increase the risk of infertility in both men and women and is certified by the Swedish Communicable Diseases Act as a danger to society. The reasons for the increase in sexually transmitted diseases is not fully understood. Probably it depends on several factors. Virtually every country in the world has more STDs than Sweden. We know that young people today are traveling more than ever and thus bring home communicable diseases. Immigration and tourism will also affect to our country. In many countries tracking partners to infected patients are not mandatory as in Sweden. Today's young people postpone their family formation, which means that many "have time" for more partners than previous generations. A change of attitude to a more permissive approach to sexual contacts without love and relations is also seen in both sexes and contribute to this development. This is for the young woman a revolutionary change. The availability of pornography is unlimited, which may contribute to sexual risk behavior. The HIV / AIDS Campaign during the 80s and 90s when HIV / AIDS became known meant more condom use and more restrictive sex. HIV is in many countries in the world, a major threat to population health. Young people need information and knowledge. They need forums where attitudes and behavior in sexual issues and sexually transmitted diseases are discussed. The aim of the study was to examine gender differences in high school students with respect to sexual risk behavior, and young people's perception of the effect of education on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The study also aimed to examine differences between students in the academic program compared to vocational programs. Methods: Students invited to participate were in the second year in high school (about 17 years old) and were from two municipalities in southwestern Sweden. After a 60-minute lesson in sex and relationships they were offered to answer a questionnaire about sexual experiences, sexual risk behavior and the effect of education on sexually transmitted diseases. Results: Boys took less responsibility for STI prevention than girls. In addition, boys were less influenced by STI education than girls. The girls had more experience of homosexuality than men. Conclusions and implications for the practitioner: Boys take less responsibility for STI prevention compared to girls. When planning the STI education, it is important to consider gender, traditions and different learning styles. If STI education does not reach the boys, the prevalence of these infections will continue to increase

Role of gender in sexual behaviours and response to education in sexually transmitted infections in 17-year-old adolescents

Background: The values we develop in our youth will follow us through life. To study the behavior of young people do not learn us how young people's future will be, but can give us knowledge about how the future can be. Nearly all sexually transmitted diseases is increasing in our country today, many sexually transmitted diseases increase the risk of infertility in both men and women and is certified by the Swedish Communicable Diseases Act as a danger to society. The reasons for the increase in sexually transmitted diseases is not fully understood. Probably it depends on several factors. Virtually every country in the world has more STDs than Sweden. We know that young people today are traveling more than ever and thus bring home communicable diseases. Immigration and tourism will also affect to our country. In many countries tracking partners to infected patients are not mandatory as in Sweden. Today's young people postpone their family formation, which means that many "have time" for more partners than previous generations. A change of attitude to a more permissive approach to sexual contacts without love and relations is also seen in both sexes and contribute to this development. This is for the young woman a revolutionary change. The availability of pornography is unlimited, which may contribute to sexual risk behavior. The HIV / AIDS Campaign during the 80s and 90s when HIV / AIDS became known meant more condom use and more restrictive sex. HIV is in many countries in the world, a major threat to population health. Young people need information and knowledge. They need forums where attitudes and behavior in sexual issues and sexually transmitted diseases are discussed. The aim of the study was to examine gender differences in high school students with respect to sexual risk behavior, and young people's perception of the effect of education on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The study also aimed to examine differences between students in the academic program compared to vocational programs. Methods: Students invited to participate were in the second year in high school (about 17 years old) and were from two municipalities in southwestern Sweden. After a 60-minute lesson in sex and relationships they were offered to answer a questionnaire about sexual experiences, sexual risk behavior and the effect of education on sexually transmitted diseases. Results: Boys took less responsibility for STI prevention than girls. In addition, boys were less influenced by STI education than girls. The girls had more experience of homosexuality than men. Conclusions and implications for the practitioner: Boys take less responsibility for STI prevention compared to girls. When planning the STI education, it is important to consider gender, traditions and different learning styles. If STI education does not reach the boys, the prevalence of these infections will continue to increase

Socio‑cultural implications for women’s menstrual health in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs): a scoping review

Background: Globally, experiences of menarche and subsequent menstruation are embedded in social and cultural beliefs, norms and practices. Menarche is an important developmental milestone in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for females. Menarche is intertwined with socio‑cultural norms, beliefs and practices, which can impact on women’s ability to manage menstruation with dignity. This paper reviews the social and cultural factors that affect women’s ability to effectively manage their menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Methods: A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA scoping review guidelines and inclusion/exclusion criteria. An online search was conducted for peer‑reviewed publications in Medline/OVID; Medline/PubMED; PsycINFO; CINAHL; Scopus and JSTOR, and Google Scholar. A search for grey literature was conducted in Google Scholar and websites of international and local organizations. Experts in the field also contributed additional references. Extracted data were summarised in an Excel spreadsheet. Searches were conducted between May and June, 2019, and then repeated in July, 2020. Results: A total of 11 studies were included; 10 qualitative and one mixed methods study. Studies were conducted in Melanesian (n=9), Polynesian (n=1) and Micronesian (n=1) PICTs. All 11 studies reported elements of societal and personal factors; ten studies reported evidence relating to interpersonal factors; nine studies reported elements relating to environmental factors; and two studies presented evidence linked to biological factors. Managing menstrual health with dignity is challenging for many women and girls because menstruation is associated with menstrual taboos and shame. Conclusion: This review found that the MHH experiences of women in PICTs are affected by social and cultural beliefs, norms and practices. Beliefs, norms and practices about menarche need to be incorporated in SRH planning, programs and education in order to be relevant to diverse village and urban settings

'Making of a strong woman': a constructivist grounded theory of the experiences of young women around menarche in Papua New Guinea

Background: Menarche, the first menstruation, is a significant developmental milestone for females. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), menarche is an important socio-cultural event marking transition from girlhood to womanhood. PNG is a culturally and linguistically diverse nation, with wide-ranging socio-cultural beliefs and practices around menarche. This study explored post-menarcheal women’s understanding about body changes and menarche, preparation for menarche, and related cultural beliefs and practices at menarche. Methods: A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted with 98 female participants who originated from four PNG provinces: Eastern Highlands Province; East Sepik Province; Milne Bay Province; and National Capital District. The participants were purposively and theoretically sampled, with 10 focus group discussions and six individual interviews conducted using a semi-structured interview guide for data collection. Focus group discussions and interviews were voice recorded and transcribed. Data were inductively analyzed using initial, intermediate and advanced coding, memos and constant comparative methods to develop a theoretical model that explains women’s experiences at menarche. Interview participants also identified actions required to improve future experiences of girls at menarche in PNG. Results: A grounded theory comprising the core category of ‘Making of a Strong Woman’ and four interconnecting categories (‘Having Baby Sense’; ‘Beginning of Learning’; ‘Intensifying Learning’; and ‘Achieving Womanhood’) was constructed. ‘Urban’ and ‘Rural’ represented both geographical and socio-cultural intervening conditions that influence the experiences of girls at menarche. Experiences of young women at menarche were rooted in socio-cultural beliefs and practices. Women reported being physically and emotionally distressed and unprepared at onset of menarche. Mothers were considered important support, however, their ability to adequately prepare their daughters is limited by shame and secrecy. Despite these limitations, cultural practices at menarche provided an opportunity for intensive preparation of girls for womanhood. Conclusion: Limited pre-menarcheal awareness of the meaning of body changes and menarche of girls was linked to culture of shame and secrecy about open discussion on sexuality. However, traditional cultural practices provide an opportunity for collective support and focused learning for girls. Findings from this study have implications for broader sexual and reproductive health education programs in addressing menstrual health and hygiene in PNG, and the Pacific

THE WINDING ROAD TO WOMANHOOD. Adolescents´ attitudes towards menstruation, womanhood and sexual health - observational and interventional studies

Menarche is a unique marker of female maturation representing the transition from childhood to womanhood. When entering adolescence, children face a number of challenges in areas such as the parent-adolescent relationship, development of the self and identity, an expanding network of social relationships, pubertal changes and the development of sexuality. Education may improve attitudes toward menstruation among adolescents thus increasing their awareness of risks and enabling them to protect themselves accordingly. This thesis aims to provide better understanding of these phenomenons and is based on four studies: I. Twelve-year-old girls’ experiences of early puberty were described using content analysis of data from focus group interviews. Four themes were revealed: “Growing up - awareness, transition, longing”, “Mother - a close and important relationship”, “Menarche - a personal and important occurrence”, and “Sex and relationships”. The girls had many questions about sex and physical changes but felt adults had failed them in providing answers. II. Twelve-year-old girls’ attitudes, thoughts and feelings towards menstruation and their bodies as well the ability to communicate on aspects of womanhood was elucidated using a questionnaire. Postmenarcheal girls were less positive towards menstruation than premenarcheal. Many girls did not reaffirm the statement “I like my body” and many claimed they had been verbally sexually harassed. Mothers were thought of as most easily “chatted” with about menstruation. III. This study investigated the effect of a new, structured, interactive, multisensory, group learning education (IML) for 12-year-old girls compared with a standard intervention. Pre- and postmenarcheal girls answered accordingly adjusted questionnaires on attitudes toward menstruation before and six months after the intervention. If the girls received IML just prior to menarche it resulted in improvements in attitudes toward menstruation. IV. Second-year adolescent high school students completed a questionnaire on sexual experience, sexual risk behavior and the impact of an educational program on STI. Boys took less responsibility for STI prevention than girls. Furthermore, boys perceived themselves less influenced by STI-education than girls. Girls had greater experience of same-sex sexuality than boys

Improving pre- and postmenarcheal 12-year-old girls' attitudes toward menstruation

Adolescence is a time of rapid changes, including risk for unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Education may improve understanding and attitudes toward menstruation among adolescents thus increasing their awareness of risks and enabling them to protect themselves accordingly. To investigate effects of education on attitudes, two interventions were compared in 345 12-year-old girls. The new, active intervention given to premenarcheal girls just before menarche resulted in improvements in attitudes toward menstruation compared with standard intervention. Thus, just before menarche girls should be offered education modeled after the active intervention. The education must be concrete and based on multisensory learning

Conceptualising migraine attacks from a biopsychosocial model using qualitative and functional behavioural analysis

AbstractObjective: The aim of this study was to explore patients’ experiences and management of pain in connection with a migraine attack in episodic migraine.Design, setting and subjects: This qualitative study used a semi-structured interview format based on functional behavioural analysis as commonly used in cognitive behavioural therapy. We interviewed eight participants and analysed their responses using systematic text condensation.Results: Participants’ descriptions of their experiences and management of pain from episodic migraine were sorted into three description First physical sensations, Automatic reactions and Acts according to the interpretation.Conclusion: From a biopsychosocial perspective, a migraine attack is much more complex than just an experience of pain. The purely biological pain prompts a number of automatic reactions leading to strategies for pain management

Role of gender in sexual behaviours and response to education in sexually transmitted infections in 17-year-old adolescents

Objective: to investigate gender differences in high school students with respect to sexual risk behaviours, and their perceptions of the effect of an educational programme on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In addition, this study aimed to investigate differences between students in programmes preparing for university compared with vocational programmes. Participants, setting and design: second-year high school adolescents from two communities in southwest Sweden were invited to participate in the study, and completed a questionnaire on sexual experience, sexual risk behaviours and the impact of the educational programme on STIs. Findings: males took less responsibility for STI prevention than females. Furthermore, males perceived themselves to be less influenced by the STI education than females. Females had more experience of same-sex sexuality than males. Conclusions and implications for practice: males take less responsibility for STI prevention than females. When planning STI education, it is important to consider gender, traditions and various learning styles. If STI education fails to reach males, the prevalence of these infections will continue to increase

Tobacco impact on quality of life, a cross-sectional study of smokers, snuff-users and non-users of tobacco

Abstract Background Tobacco smoking is a major public health issue, and also affects health-related quality of life. There has been considerable debate as to whether oral moist snuff, a form of tobacco placed in the oral cavity between the upper lip and gum as in sublabial administration, can be considered a safe alternative to smoking. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between health-related quality of life and smoking, snuff use, gender and age. Method This cross-sectional study included 674 women and 605 men aged 18 to 65 recruited through a Swedish population database. Subjects completed a questionnaire about tobacco use and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed for the association between health-related quality of life and tobacco use, gender and age. The median perceived health-related quality of life (SF-36) for an age-matched Swedish population was used as the cutoff: above the cutoff indicated better-than-average health coded as 1, or otherwise coded as 0. The independent variables were smoking (pack-decades), snuff-use (box-decades), gender and age in decades. The outcome was presented as the Odds Ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for each independent variable. Results The experience of cigarette smoking is associated with decreased physical functioning (PF), general health (GH), vitality (VT), social functioning (SF) and mental health (MH) as well as both lower physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). Further, the experience of snuff use is associated with bodily pain (BP), lower VT, and lower PCS. In the study population older age is associated with lower PF,GH, VT, MH, PCS and MCS. Female gender is associated with lower PF and VT. Conclusion This study shows that smoking is associated with lower health-related quality of life. The results also illuminate the detrimental health effects of using snuff, implying that snuff too is a health hazard. As studies on the bodily effects of snuff are relatively scarce, it is imperative that we continue to address and investigate the impact on the population using snuff on a regular basis. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05409963 05251022 08/06/22

Reducing menopausal symptoms for women during the menopause transition using group education in a primary health care setting — a randomized controlled trial

Objectives: Women's physical and mental ill-health shows a marked increase during menopause, which usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age. Mental illness and somatic symptoms are common causes of long-term sick leave. Women suffer from a lack of knowledge about the menopause transition and its associated symptoms. The aim of the study was to investigate whether group education for women in primary health care (PHC) about the menopause transition can improve their physical and mental ill-health. Study design: This randomized controlled study was conducted in PHC and aimed to evaluate a Group education programme for women aged 45–55 years, around the menopause transition. A total of 131 women were randomized to group education or no intervention. The group intervention included two education sessions with topics related to menopause. They answered two questionnaires at baseline and at four-month follow-up: the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Main outcome measure: Change in MRS and MADRS scores over the four months. Results: The intervention group experienced a slight reduction in symptoms while the control Group mostly experienced the opposite. Conclusion: This study showed that it was feasible to implement group education on menopause for women aged 45–55 years. The clinical trial registration number: NTC0285281