Sexual behaviour of Cape Townhigh-school students

Objectives. To document prevalence rates for selected aspects of sexual behaviour among Cape Town high-school students and to conduct a survival analysis of age at first intercourse. Design. Cross-sectional survey. Setting. State high schools in Cape Town. Subjects. A multistage cluster sample of 2 740 grade 8 and 11 students at 39 schools. Outcome measures. Ever having had sexual intercourse; for those who had, age at first intercourse, number of partners during the previous 12 months, time since last intercourse; and, at last intercourse, whether the partner had been known for more than 7 days, whether any method was used to prevent pregnancy or disease, and (if so) what was used. Results. Overall, 29.9% had participated in sexual intercourse, with a higher proportion among males and those in grade 11. By the age of 14 years, 23.4% of males and 5.5% of females had participated in sexual intercourse. By the age of 19 years, these proportions were 71.8% and 58.2% respectively. The median time since last intercourse was 4 weeks, the median number of partners in the past year was 1, and 78.4% had known their most recent partner for more than 7 days. At their last coital episode, 65.4% had used contraception, and the most common methods were condoms and injectable steroids, which were used by 67.7% and 43.2% respectively. Conclusions. The proportion of sexually active students has increased since 1990. Intervention programmes should commence in primary school. Large numbers of students are at risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections

Measuring adolescents' exposure to violence and related PTSD symptoms: Reliability of an adaptation of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire

Objective — This study aimed to assess the reliability of an adaptation of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire for use in epidemiological investigations of adolescents' exposure to violence and related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Method — The exposure items of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were adapted for the South African context. The symptoms scale was left intact. Self-report questionnaires were administered on two occasions to 104 students in four high schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Test-retest reliability was assessed using Cohen's kappa (k) and observed agreement, as well as a concordance correlation coefficient for the symptoms scale. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency of the symptoms scale. Results — All but one item showed at least fair test-retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha for the symptoms scale was 0.92, and the concordance correlation coefficient between the total symptoms score at time 1 and time 2 was 0.64 (95% CI = 0.51–0.74). Conclusions — Results suggest that the instrument may be sufficiently reliable for use in epidemiological studies of adolescent populations, although this sample is limited in several key respects. Further studies should investigate reliability in broader samples, as well as examining validity.Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2004, 16(1): 31–3

Guidelines and Good Clinical Practice Recommendations for Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) in the Liver–Update 2020 WFUMB in Cooperation with EFSUMB, AFSUMB, AIUM, and FLAUS

The present, updated document describes the fourth iteration of recommendations for the hepatic use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound, first initiated in 2004 by the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. The previous updated editions of the guidelines reflected changes in the available contrast agents and updated the guidelines not only for hepatic but also for non-hepatic applications. The 2012 guideline requires updating as, previously, the differences in the contrast agents were not precisely described and the differences in contrast phases as well as handling were not clearly indicated. In addition, more evidence has been published for all contrast agents. The update also reflects the most recent developments in contrast agents, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and the extensive Asian experience, to produce a truly international perspective. These guidelines and recommendations provide general advice on the use of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) and are intended to create standard protocols for the use and administration of UCAs in liver applications on an international basis to improve the management of patients