Alcohol use in fishing communities and men's willingness to participate in an alcohol, violence and HIV risk reduction intervention: qualitative findings from Rakai, Uganda.

Alcohol use, intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV infection are associated, but few programmes and interventions have addressed their synergistic relationship or been evaluated for effectiveness and acceptability. This is a critical gap in populations with high rates of alcohol use, HIV and IPV, such as Uganda's fishing communities. This study examined drinking norms, barriers and facilitators to engagement in a risk reduction programme, and ideas for tailoring. Results showed that alcohol use is common in fishing villages. While men and women drink, gendered notions of femininity deem alcohol largely unacceptable for women. Plastic sachets of liquor were the most common alcoholic drink. Participants did not understand the definition of 'hazardous drinking', but recognised connections between drinking, violence and sexual risk-taking. The idea of an alcohol, IPV and HIV risk reduction intervention was supported, but barriers need to be addressed, including how best to help those uninterested in reducing their drinking, addressing normalisation of drinking and how best to inform those who truly need intervention. Intervention to people living with HIV around the time of diagnosis and treatment may be warranted. Study findings highlight the potential to integrate alcohol and IPV reduction programmes into an HIV service provision

Perceptions of Adolescent Pregnancy Among Teenage Girls in Rakai, Uganda.

The leading causes of death and disability among Ugandan female adolescents aged 15 to 19 years are pregnancy complications, unsafe abortions, and childbirth. Despite these statistics, our understanding of how girls perceive adolescent pregnancy is limited. This qualitative study explored the social and contextual factors shaping the perceptions of adolescent pregnancy and childbirth among a sample of 12 currently pregnant and 14 never pregnant girls living in the rural Rakai District of Uganda. Interviews were conducted to elicit perceived risk factors for pregnancy, associated community attitudes, and personal opinions on adolescent pregnancy. Findings indicate that notions of adolescent pregnancy are primarily influenced by perceptions of control over getting pregnant and readiness for childbearing. Premarital pregnancy was perceived as negative whereas postmarital pregnancy was regarded as positive. Greater understanding of the individual and contextual factors influencing perceptions can aid in development of salient, culturally appropriate policies and programs to mitigate unintended adolescent pregnancies

Process evaluation of the SHARE intervention for preventing intimate partner violence and HIV infection in Rakai, Uganda.

The Safe Homes And Respect for Everyone (SHARE) intervention introduced an intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention approach into Rakai Health Sciences Program, an established HIV research and service organization in Uganda. A trial found exposure to SHARE was associated with reductions in IPV and HIV incidence. This mixed methods process evaluation was conducted between August 2007 and December 2009, with people living in SHARE intervention clusters, to assess awareness about/participation in SHARE, motivators and barriers to involvement, and perceptions of how SHARE contributed to behavior change. Surveys were conducted with 1407 Rakai Community Cohort Study participants. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 key informants. Most (77%) were aware of SHARE, among whom 73% participated in intervention activities. Two-thirds of those who participated in SHARE felt it influenced behavior change related to IPV. While some felt confident to take part in new IPV-focused activities of a well-established program, others were suspicious of SHARE's motivations, implying awareness raising is critical. Many activities appealed to the majority (e.g., community drama) while interest in some activities was limited to men (e.g., film shows), suggesting multiple intervention components is ideal for wide-reaching programming. The SHARE model offers a promising, acceptable approach for integrating IPV prevention into HIV and other established health programs in sub-Saharan Africa

Using social media influencers to increase knowledge and positive attitudes toward the flu vaccine.

Seasonal influenza affects millions of people across the United States each year. African Americans and Hispanics have significantly lower vaccination rates, and large-scale campaigns have had difficulty increasing vaccination among these two groups. This study assessed the feasibility of delivering a flu vaccination promotion campaign using influencers, and examined shifts in social norms regarding flu vaccine acceptability after a social media micro influencer campaign. Influencers were asked to choose from vetted messages and create their own original content promoting flu vaccination, which was posted to their social media pages. Content was intentionally unbranded to ensure that it aligned with the look and feel of their pages. Cross-sectional pre- and post-campaign surveys were conducted within regions that received the campaign and control regions to examine potential campaign impact. Digital metrics assessed campaign exposure. Overall, 117 influencers generated 69,495 engagements. Results from the region that received the campaign showed significant increases in positive beliefs about the flu vaccine, and significant decreases in negative community attitudes toward the vaccine. This study suggests that flu campaigns using a ground-up rather than top-down approach can feasibly reach at-risk groups with lower vaccination rates, and shows the potentials of using an influencer-based model to communicate information about flu vaccination on a large scale

Four hundred and sixty brands of e-cigarettes and counting: implications for product regulation.

IntroductionE-cigarettes are largely unregulated and internet sales are substantial. This study examines how the online market for e-cigarettes has changed over time: in product design and in marketing messages appearing on websites.MethodsComprehensive internet searches of English-language websites from May-August 2012 and December 2013-January 2014 identified brands, models, flavours, nicotine strengths, ingredients and product claims. Brands were divided into older and newer groups (by the two searches) for comparison.ResultsBy January 2014 there were 466 brands (each with its own website) and 7764 unique flavours. In the 17 months between the searches, there was a net increase of 10.5 brands and 242 new flavours per month. Older brands were more likely than newer brands to offer cigalikes (86.9% vs. 52.1%, p<0.01), and newer brands more likely to offer the more versatile eGos and mods (75.3% vs. 57.8%, p<0.01). Older brands were significantly more likely to claim that they were healthier and cheaper than cigarettes, were good substitutes where smoking was banned and were effective smoking cessation aids. Newer brands offered more flavours per brand (49 vs. 32, p<0.01) and were less likely to compare themselves with conventional cigarettes.ConclusionsThe number of e-cigarette brands is large and has been increasing. Older brands tend to highlight their advantages over conventional cigarettes while newer brands emphasise consumer choice in multiple flavours and product versatility. These results can serve as a benchmark for future research on the impact of upcoming regulations on product design and advertising messages of e-cigarettes

Four hundred and sixty brands of e-cigarettes and counting: implications for product regulation.

IntroductionE-cigarettes are largely unregulated and internet sales are substantial. This study examines how the online market for e-cigarettes has changed over time: in product design and in marketing messages appearing on websites.MethodsComprehensive internet searches of English-language websites from May-August 2012 and December 2013-January 2014 identified brands, models, flavours, nicotine strengths, ingredients and product claims. Brands were divided into older and newer groups (by the two searches) for comparison.ResultsBy January 2014 there were 466 brands (each with its own website) and 7764 unique flavours. In the 17 months between the searches, there was a net increase of 10.5 brands and 242 new flavours per month. Older brands were more likely than newer brands to offer cigalikes (86.9% vs. 52.1%, p<0.01), and newer brands more likely to offer the more versatile eGos and mods (75.3% vs. 57.8%, p<0.01). Older brands were significantly more likely to claim that they were healthier and cheaper than cigarettes, were good substitutes where smoking was banned and were effective smoking cessation aids. Newer brands offered more flavours per brand (49 vs. 32, p<0.01) and were less likely to compare themselves with conventional cigarettes.ConclusionsThe number of e-cigarette brands is large and has been increasing. Older brands tend to highlight their advantages over conventional cigarettes while newer brands emphasise consumer choice in multiple flavours and product versatility. These results can serve as a benchmark for future research on the impact of upcoming regulations on product design and advertising messages of e-cigarettes

Alcohol use in fishing communities and men's willingness to participate in an alcohol, violence and HIV risk reduction intervention: qualitative findings from Rakai, Uganda.

Alcohol use, intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV infection are associated, but few programmes and interventions have addressed their synergistic relationship or been evaluated for effectiveness and acceptability. This is a critical gap in populations with high rates of alcohol use, HIV and IPV, such as Uganda's fishing communities. This study examined drinking norms, barriers and facilitators to engagement in a risk reduction programme, and ideas for tailoring. Results showed that alcohol use is common in fishing villages. While men and women drink, gendered notions of femininity deem alcohol largely unacceptable for women. Plastic sachets of liquor were the most common alcoholic drink. Participants did not understand the definition of 'hazardous drinking', but recognised connections between drinking, violence and sexual risk-taking. The idea of an alcohol, IPV and HIV risk reduction intervention was supported, but barriers need to be addressed, including how best to help those uninterested in reducing their drinking, addressing normalisation of drinking and how best to inform those who truly need intervention. Intervention to people living with HIV around the time of diagnosis and treatment may be warranted. Study findings highlight the potential to integrate alcohol and IPV reduction programmes into an HIV service provision

A Multistate Asian-Language Tobacco Quitline: Addressing a Disparity in Access to Care.

ObjectivesWe conducted a dissemination and implementation study to translate an intervention protocol for Asian-language smokers from an efficacy trial into an effective and sustainable multistate service.MethodsThree state tobacco programs (in California, Colorado, and Hawaii) promoted a multistate cessation quitline to 3 Asian-language-speaking communities: Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. The California quitline provided counseling centrally to facilitate implementation. Three more states joined the program during the study period (January 2010-July 2012). We assessed the provision of counseling, quitting outcomes, and dissemination of the program.ResultsA total of 2004 smokers called for the service, with 88.3% opting for counseling. Among those opting for counseling, the 6-month abstinence rate (18.8%) was similar to results of the earlier efficacy trial (16.4%).ConclusionsThe intervention protocol, based on an efficacy trial, was successfully translated into a multistate service and further disseminated. This project paved the way for the establishment of a national quitline for Asian-language speakers, which serves as an important strategy to address disparities in access to care