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Early sexual partnerships place young women in sub-Saharan Africa at high risk for HIV. Few studies have examined both individual- and partnership-level characteristics of sexual relationships among adolescent girls. A cross-sectional survey of sexual history and partnerships was conducted among 761 adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in Nairobi, Kenya. Rapid HIV testing was conducted and correlates of HIV infection were determined using multivariate logistic regression. The HIV prevalence was 7% and seropositive adolescents had a younger age at sexual debut (P, 0.01), more sexual partners in 12 months (P = 0.03), and were more likely to report transactional or non-consensual sex (P, 0.01). Girls who reported not knowing their partner's HIV status were 14 times as likely to be HIV-seropositive than girls who knew their partner's status (adjusted odds ratio: 14.2 [1.8, 109.3]). Public health messages to promote HIV testing and disclosure within partnerships could reduce sexual risk behaviours and HIV transmission among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The 1992 peace settlement that ended the civil war in El Salvador included land redistribution and other provisions designed to improve the socioeconomic status of ex-combatants and vulnerable civilians.Objective: To describe associations between postwar social and economic assistance programs, especially land reform, and current child health status as reflected by nutrition in a population of resettled rural refugees.Design: A population-based cross-sectional survey of child nutritional status and principal elements of the reconstruction process.Setting: A single rural municipality in northern El Salvador.Participants: A representative sample of 761 children younger than 5 years, living in 27 villages.Main Outcome Measure: Prevalence of stunting (low height for age) in children younger than 5 years.Results: Prevalence of stunting was 32.4%. Stunting was significantly more prevalent among children whose families cultivated less land (odds ratio [OR] for stunting per additional hectare of redistributed land cultivated, 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-0.93). Less than half of newly transferred land was being cultivated by its owners. Most of the children (84.7%) lived in families cultivating 2 hectares or less of redistributed land. Stunting was also more prevalent among children whose households lacked piped water (adjusted OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.87-3.96) vs those who had had piped water since before the cease-fire.Conclusions: Malnutrition, particularly stunting, persisted at high levels and was strongly associated with delay in full cultivation of redistributed land and in provision of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]