Biomedical subjects

D R Holcomb

Publications and source records attributed to D R Holcomb.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

An academic paradox: high school students' perceptions of their class standing and self-reported risk-taking.

The centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) administered its 75-item 1991 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey to a nationwide random sample of 12,248 high school students. In a secondary analysis of their data, one item on students' perceived class standing, was compared with selected health risk-taking practices. The 7.7% of students who indicated that they were "below the middle" in comparison with their classmates reported more participation in all risk-taking behaviors than students who reported being "in the middle" (28.6%) or "above the middle" (63.7%). Students' grades, ages, and ethnicity showed significant differences, with younger students and selected ethnocultural minority students more likely to report being "below the middle." Perceived class standing may be a proxy measure for estimating participation in health-compromising practices.

Achievement↗

PubMed1996

HIV risk behaviors: a comparison of U.S. Hispanic and Dominican Republic youth.

Sexual behaviors of adolescents place them at a high risk for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. International comparisons of sexual risk-taking among youth employing a common set of survey items are rare. Moreover, such studies can assist in explaining observed differences in disease rates, or predicting future trends in transmission, and identifying health educational needs unique to a particular population or setting. To assess variations in risk-taking patterns, a comparison of HIV behavioral risk factors was made between U.S. Hispanic and Dominican Republic (D.R.) youth. The Spanish version of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) survey was administered to 1,175 D.R. high school students. Responses were compared to those in the U.S. from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 1990 YRBS data tape for 2285 Hispanic youth. Frequency and cross-tabulation data were compared by country and gender. There were significant differences in AIDS education at school, discussions about AIDS conducted in the home, age of first sexual experience, condom use, and past experience with STDs. Results show that adolescents in both countries are at risk, but with different mediating factors. Inadequate condom use and early initiation of sex place the D.R. youth at risk, while more U.S. youth are engaging in sexual intercourse and using alcohol or other drugs in conjunction with sexual episodes. Some implications for prevention education are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Sexual risk-taking by Muscovite youth attending school.

Sexual behaviors of adolescents place them at a high risk for HIV and other sexually transmissible infections. Studies of sexual risk-taking and other health compromising practices by youth in countries other than the United States are relatively rare. Examination of health practices across cultures provides insights with respect to explaining international differences in disease rates, helps predict future trends in disease transmission, and identifies health education needs of particular populations or settings. Sexual behavioral risk factors were studied in a sample of 1,090 youth (mean age = 14 years) in Moscow using a translated version of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) survey developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 26.3% of Muscovite youth report being taught about HIV/AIDS infection in school, and just 41.7% indicate discussion of HIV/AIDS occurred with parents or other familial adults. Overall, 15.7% of females and 23.7% of males report at least one sexual intercourse in their lifetime. About 8.8% of the sample reported participation in sexual intercourse before age 12, and 34.9% indicated having had sexual intercourse with four or more partners. Concomitant use of alcohol and other drugs is common (24.4%) prior to the most recent intercourse, and use of a condom occurs in fewer than half (41.7%) of recent sexual episodes.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1993

Healthy dating: a mixed-gender date rape workshop.

College communities are increasingly being called upon to institute date rape prevention programs. This article describes a mixed-gender workshop sponsored by a university's Program for Rape Education and Prevention that was given to more than 1,400 undergraduate students in more than 80 presentations. In order to guide modifications of the workshop, formative evaluation data collected from 330 male (mean age 20.3 years) and 314 female (mean age 20.5 years) university students were collected. Results were largely positive. Despite the sensitive nature of the topic, only 10.2% of the men and 8.2% of the women reported being uncomfortable discussing date rape in mixed-gender groups. Furthermore, students were virtually unanimous in their agreement that date rape is a topic worthy of a workshop.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

An evaluation of a mixed-gender date rape prevention workshop.

A randomized, posttest-only experimental design was used to compare the date-rape attitudes of university students who were exposed to a mixed-gender date-rape workshop (n = 163) with those of students who were not exposed (n = 168). A previously validated instrument, the 25-item Date Rape Attitudes Survey (DRAS), was used as the criterion measure. Three hypotheses were tested, with the following results: (1) Men reported attitudes that were more tolerant of date rape than those reported by women (ie, the men were more likely to condone date rape); (2) students in the control group reported attitudes that were more tolerant of date rape than those reported by students in the treatment group; and (3) men exhibited a greater effect from the program than did women. Finally, the authors discuss implications of the study and offer recommendations for future research evaluating date-rape prevention programs.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

The relationship between youth substance use and area-specific self-esteem.

A cross-sectional survey design investigated the relationship of school and home self-esteem to history of substance use, membership in alternative education (non-mainstream) school programs, gender, and race. Self-esteem was assessed using the Hare Self-Esteem Scale. Four hundred eleven sixth grade students completed the survey. Results revealed home self-esteem related inversely to tobacco use (F = 15.39, df = 2,343, p < .0001), alcohol use (F = 12.08, df = 2,343, p < .0001), and use of other drugs (F = 12.28, df = 2,338, p < .0001). Similarly, school self-esteem related inversely to tobacco use (F = 15.47, df = 2,354, p < .0001), alcohol use (F = 8.74, df = 2,353, p = .0002), and use of other drugs (F = 9.30, df = 2,350, p < .0001). Regardless of type of drug, recent users had the lowest self-esteem scores on both subscales and never users had the highest scores. Subjects enrolled in non-mainstream programs had significantly lower home and school self-esteem scores than did subjects in mainstream classes. Race and gender were not associated significantly with self-esteem. Implications for youth substance use prevention and research are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Designing a safety program for a college health service.

Although accidents are the leading cause of death among college students, literature about developing student health safety programs is limited. In this article, we present preliminary recommendations based on literature review, epidemiologic data, and Nominal Group Process (NGP) activities, for developing university student safety programs. Our recommendations include appointing a coordinator to oversee all on-campus safety activities, providing for university-wide education programs dealing with alcohol and drug use, promoting personal safety efforts in areas such as family violence and rape prevention, and encouraging students to use safe transportation alternatives.

Accident Prevention↗

PubMed1992

Connotative meanings assigned to contraceptive options.

Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives states that the reduction of unintended pregnancies is one of the primary health objectives for college-aged people. In addition, the reduction in rates of sexually transmitted diseases, with special emphasis on reducing the incidence of HIV infection, is an important objective for this population. One way of addressing these objectives is through promoting use of effective contraception methods. Attitudes toward a particular contraceptive option may play an important role in acceptance of, and predisposition toward, using a given method. The authors used semantic differential scaling to study the connotative meanings college students assigned to 13 contraceptive methods. They asked 751 students (mean age = 19.6 years) to rate each method of contraception, using 7-point scales composed of 15 bipolar adjective pairs. Scale internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha, and ranges were from .68 for douching to .92 for oral contraceptives. Respondents' rank-ordered approval ratings of the 13 options were as follows: oral contraceptives; abstinence; the condom; the diaphragm; the contraceptive sponge; female sterilization; rhythm; male sterilization; douching, the IUD, and vaginal suppositories (tied); spermicidal foam; and withdrawal. These results indicated general approval for methods that are effective in preventing conception. Semantic interpretation of selected contraceptive options differed by gender and race, but not by age. Implications for contraception education and future research issues are discussed.

Adolescent↗