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Although male partner resistance to female condom use has been reported, little is understood about circumstances under which partners will agree to female condom use. This study documents the experiences of couples who have worked together to achieve female condom use. As part of a prospective female condom efficacy study, female participants (age 18-34) received a behavioral intervention and an assortment of take-home items. Selected women and their partners were recruited for a qualitative interview focusing on their experience with the female condom. Interviews were transcribed, double-coded, and verified using a standard retrieval coding system. Twenty-six pairs of linked interviews were analyzed dyadically: 9 couples who used the female condom 'consistently,' 12 'experimenters,' and 5 'non-users.' Women who successfully promoted the female condom to their partners used multiple presentation strategies. Initial male partner reaction did not predict continued use beyond the first trial. In conclusion, employment of multiple strategies facilitates successful introduction of the female condom into a sexual partnership. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: [c] 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.] KEYWORDS. Female condom, barrier method, contraception, qualitative

Objectives. A randomized trial (the Birmingham Trial II) was conducted to evaluate the behavioral impact of health education methods among 814 female smokers at four public health maternity clinics. Methods. Four hundred patients were randomly assigned to an Experimental (E) Group, and 414 were assigned to a Control (C) Group. Self-reports and saliva cotinine tests confirmed smoking status at the first visit, at midpregnancy, and at end of pregnancy. Results. The E Group exhibited a 14.3% quit rate and the C Group an 8.5% quit rate. A Historical Comparison (C) Group exhibited a 3.0% quit rate. Black E and C Group patients had higher quit rates than White E and C Group patients. A cost-benefit analysis found cost-to-benefit ratios of $1:$6.72 (low estimate) and $1:$17.18 (high estimate) and an estimated savings of $247 296 (low estimate) and $699 240 (high estimate). Conclusion. Health education methods, are efficacious and cost beneficial for pregnant smokers in public health maternity clinics. (Am J Public Health. 1993;83:201-206), Health education for pregnant smokers appears to be both effective and cost-efficient. Smoking during pregnancy causes low birthweight and infant fatality. Of 814 pregnant smokers from public health clinics, 400 attended a session on the risks of smoking and were taught how to use a seven-day self-help smoking cessation guide (Group E), and 414 controls did not (Group C). In Group E, 14.3% of the women quit smoking compared with 8.5% in Group C. Intervention increased the rate of quitting by 7.4% among blacks in Group E and by 4.9% among whites in Group E. Black women in both Groups E and C had significantly higher quit rates than white women. Applying a cost-benefit analysis to these findings indicates that for every $1 spent on smoking cessation methods, between $7 and $17 could be saved on medical costs.

An increasing barrier to the development and implementation of effective youth smoking prevention and cessation programs involves recruiting adolescents into research studies. Even for non-intervention studies, issues of consent, confidentiality, and motivation to participate are important considerations. In 1996, 11 Prevention Research Center sites across the country conducted qualitative research using focus groups to explore ethnic differences in smoking among adolescents. The diversity in strategies used to interest, motivate, and retain potential focus group subjects provided a rich data set for information about effective strategies and challenges to recruitment. This article presents an overview of recruitment methods used in a multi-site qualitative study on adolescent tobacco use, reports on successful and less successful strategies, and provides recommendations for future recruitment efforts. (J Sch Health. 1999;69(3):95-99), Recruitment can 'make or break' a research study, and recruitment delays often are cited when additional time or resources are requested for studies. Researchers and practitioners agree on this most [...]

Objectives. To study the social contexts and physiological consequences of an initial cigarette smoking experience among adolescents from four ethnic groups (African American, European American, Hispanic, Native American) who vary by gender and locale (e.g. urban vs rural). Method. A qualitative study using individual interviews and focus groups. Results. Results both amplify and reinforce conclusions about peer and family influences on adolescent smoking initiation reported in quantitative studies of teen smoking. Within the broader themes of peers and family, several important sub-themes emerged. The study findings suggest that peer influence can be characterized as social conformity or social acceptance. Males were more likely than females to describe experiences involving peers exerting strong messages to conform to smoking behaviors. Roles played by family members in the initiation process were complex and included those of initiator, prompter, accomplice, and inadvertent source of cigarettes. European American and Hispanic girls provided descriptions of parents/family members as instigators of their first smoking experience. Hispanic adolescents descripted instances in which family members prompted cigarette use at a young age by encouraging the young person to light the adult's cigarette. Finally, ethnic differences in the physiological responses to initial smoking suggest the need to further explore the role of brand preference and variations in inhaling among ethnically diverse adolescents. Conclusion. In order to design effective cigarette smoking prevention programs for adolescents, it is important to understand the meaning of smoking behaviors for adolescents from different ethnic and social backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handheld computers are being proposed as a resource for ambulatory care, yet physician reluctance to use the devices in the presence of patients is reported to be a barrier to optimal use. This study examined patient attitudes toward the use of handheld computers and the impact of those attitudes on the physicians' use of the handheld computers in the patient care setting. Most patients hold favorable attitudes toward physician use of handheld computers. Providing these data to physicians, however, did not uniformly lead to significant increases in handheld use in the presence of the patient. More understanding of the factors that influence behavior change and methods that will decrease barriers to the use of handhelds is needed

Background: Handheld computers have advantages for healthcare providers including portability and integration into office workflow. However, negative patient perceptions of physician use of handheld computers in the examining room might limit integration., Objective: To survey patients' perceptions of handheld use, and compare those with their providers' perceptions., Methods: A survey of patient attitudes toward handhelds was conducted among patients at a low-income university clinic. Internal Medicine residents providing care were also surveyed., Results: Patients (N=93) were mostly female (79%) and ethnic minorities (67%) with average age of 39. Only 10% of patients did not like the idea of a handheld computer in the exam room. Other negative attitudes were also seen in a minority of patients. Some physicians (23%) reported reservations about using the handheld computer with patients., Conclusions: Negative attitudes were rare among patients, but some providers were concerned about using the handheld in the exam room.