The theory of planned behavior as a behavior change model for tobacco control strategies among adolescents in Botswana.

BACKGROUND:Behavioral intentions (motivational factors), attitudes, subjective norm (social pressures), and perceived behavioral control promote or discourage smoking behavior among adolescents. OBJECTIVE:To assess students' behavioral intentions, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on smoking using the Theory of Planned Behavior. The prevalence of smoking among the adolescents is also calculated. METHODS:In this cross-sectional study, structured self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from adolescents in primary and secondary schools. Data on demographics, behavioral intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control towards smoking were collected. Pearson product moment correlations and logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with current smoking. RESULTS:A total sample of 2554 (mean age = 15; Range = 12-18 years) students participated in the study. Twenty-nine percent (n = 728) of the students had tried smoking at least once. Smoking was predicted by attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention.There was a strong association between having a parent or guardian, caregiver or close friend who smoked (p < 0.001) and being a smoker. The majority of students (57%) conveyed that adults talked to them about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking and 50% had discussed smoking concerns with their friends. Students who had positive attitudes towards smoking like "smoking makes you confident" were more likely to be current smokers (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.03-2.59). The feeling or conviction that they could refuse a cigarette if offered was an impediment from smoking (OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.13-0.26). CONCLUSIONS:Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control contributed significantly to the students' smoking. Right attitudes must be cultivated and behavioral control must be strengthened for early effective interventions to curtail smoking among adolescents

A Mixed Methods Mapping of Church Versus Secular School Messages to Influence Sexual Decision Making as Perceived by Zimbabwean Orphan Girl Students

This study examined the messages perceived by adolescent girls with orphanhood to influence their sexual decision-making. Participants were 125 students (mean age =14.7 years), 54% of whom attended church schools in a rural district of eastern Zimbabwe. We collected and analyzed data using concept mapping, a mixed method approach that enabled the construction of message clusters, with weighting for their relative importance. Messages that clustered under Biblical Teachings and Life Planning ranked highest in salience among students in both church and secular schools. Protecting Family Honor, HIV Prevention, and Social Stigma messages ranked next, respectively. Contrary to study hypotheses, the messages that orphan adolescent girls perceived to influence their sexual decisions did not vary by type of school attended

Engineering a prostate-specific membrane antigen-activated tumor endothelial cell prodrug for cancer therapy

Heterogeneous expression of drug target proteins within tumor sites is a major mechanism of resistance to anticancer therapies. We describe a strategy to selectively inhibit, within tumor sites, the function of a critical intracellular protein, the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase (SERCA) pump, whose proper function is required by all cell types for viability. To achieve targeted inhibition, we took advantage of the unique expression of the carboxypeptidase prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) by tumor endothelial cells within the microenvironment of solid tumors. We generated a prodrug, G202, consisting of a PSMA-specific peptide coupled to an analog of the potent SERCA pump inhibitor thapsigargin. G202 produced substantial tumor regression against a panel of human cancer xenografts in vivo at doses that were minimally toxic to the host. On the basis of these data, a phase 1 dose-escalation clinical trial has been initiated with G202 in patients with advanced cancer