Telling stories and ading scores: measuring resilience in young children affected by maternal HIV and AIDS

"Telling stories and adding scores: Measuring resilience in young children affected by maternal HIV and AIDS""; demonstrates how a concurrent mixed method design assisted cross-cultural comparison and ecological descriptions of resilience in young South African children; as well as validated alternative ways to measure resilience in young children. In a longitudinal randomised control trial; which investigated psychological resilience in mothers and children affected by HIV/AIDS; we combined a qualitative projective story-telling technique (Duss Fable) with quantitative data (Child Behaviour Checklist). The children mostly displayed adaptive resilience-related behaviours; although maladaptive behaviours were present. Participating children use internal (resolve/agency; positive future expectations; emotional intelligence) and external protective resources (material resources; positive institutions) to mediate adaptation. Children's maladaptive behaviours were exacerbated by internal (limited problem-solving skills; negative emotions) and external risk factors (chronic and cumulative adversity)."

Higher Prevalence Rates of Smoking in Rural than Urban Areas among School-Going Adolescents in the Lusaka Province; Zambia

Objectives: The objective of the study was to compare prevalence rates of smoking in school-going adolescents among urban; peri-urban; and rural districts. Design: Secondary analysis of the Zambia Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GTYS) data of 2007. Main outcome measure: Tobacco smoking status. Results: Totals of 2378 adolescents in Lusaka urban; 1 7 5 6 in Ka f u e p e r-u r ba n ; a nd 1 38 6 i n Chongwe/Luangwa rural districts were enrolled into the study. Smoking rates were 10.5in urban; 11.1in peri-urban; and 13.5in rural districts. After adjusting for age; sex; grade; parental and best friend smoking status; and knowing that smoking is harmful to health; compared to adolescents in L u s a k a u r b a n d i s t r i c t ; a d o l e s c e n t s i n Chongwe/Luangwa rural districts were 17(AOR=1.17; 95CI [1.10; 1.23]) more likely to smoke cigarettes. No significant difference in smoking rates was observed between adolescents in urban and peri-urban districts. Conclusions: The prevalence rate of smoking among adolescents was higher in rural than urban district. Antismoking interventions should be more targeted to adolescents in rural than urban areas

Traitements antipaludiques associés en Afrique: faut-il y croire?: résumé

La pharmacore ́ sistance constitue l'une des plus graves menaces pour la lutte antipaludique. En Afrique, l'efficacite ́desantipaludiques e ́ conomiquement abordables s'amenuise tre` s vite alors que les me ́ dicaments hautement efficaces onttendance a` couˆ ter trop cher. Or des strate ́ gies d'un bon rapport cout-efficacite ́ s'imposent pour prolonger la dure ́edevie utile des antipaludiques. Des observations faites en Asie du Sud-Est sur un traitement associant des dérivés del'arte ́ misinine a`delame ́ floquine indiquent un ralentissement du phe ́ nome` ne de pharmacore ́ sistance a` l'e ́ gard de cesdeux substances. D'ou` la possibilite ́ de trouver une solution au proble` me de la pharmacore ́ sistance en Afrique ou`denombreux obstacles s'opposent toutefois a` la mise en place efficace d'un traitement associe ́ . En effet, les taux detransmission sont relativement e ́ leve ́ s, une forte proportion d'infections asymptomatiques se produit chez des sujetssemi-immuns, les me ́ dicaments sont souvent utilise ́ s de fac ̧ on inopportune et sans informations suffisantes, les diagnostics de laboratoire font souvent de ́ faut et les services de sante ́ publique sont, en general, insuffisants en Afrique subsaharienne. En outre, le traitement associé coute relativement cher. Les auteurs examinent ici le traitement associe ́tel qu'il est applique ́ en Asie du Sud-Est, en relevant au passage les problèmes à résoudre si l'on veut l'adopter avecsucce` s en Afrique subsaharienne

Les determinants culturels et psychosociaux des comportements predisposant la femme camerounaise a l'infection a VIH

Les auteurs presentent une partie des resultats de deux enquetes longitudinales realisees en fevrier 1993 dans les villes de Nkongsamba et d'Edea. La population parente etait constituee des personnes de sexe feminin agees de 15 a 49 ans. Les resultats relatifs au comportement sexuel; indiquent que autant a Nkongsamba qu'a Edea; les femmes sont assez impregnees de l'information sur l'existence du SIDA (97 pour cent; 99 pour cent). Dans les deux milieux; le premier rapport sexuel de la femme intervient en moyenne a 16 ans; et la premiere utilisation du condom a 20 ans. A Edea; les cas de rapports sexuels a risque par vagabondage prostitutionnel interviennent des 18 ans et concernent 14 pour cent des femmes; contre 20 ans et 6 pour cent seulement a Nkongsamba

Possible effects of acquired immunologic deficiency syndrome (AIDS) on tuberculosis in industrial and developing countries

Tuberculosis is the most frequent infectious complication of AIDS and HIV infection in countries where che prevalence of tuberculous infection is high. HIV infection is the strongest risk factor for developing tuberculosis in individuals infected removly or recently with tubercle bacilli. An increased incidence of tuberculosis has been already documented in several African countries with a high prevalence of both tuberculous and HIV infections (Tanzania; Malawi). The increase in the incidence of tuberculosis is mainly due to the depression of cellular immunity caused by HIV infection in subjects infected with M. tuberculosis. The occurrence of tuberculosis in HIV-seropositive persons is more frequent in those remotely infected than in those recently infected or reinfected with M. tuberculosis. In developed countries; HIV infection will cause tuberculosis in only a relatively small number of persons; since the prevalence of tuberculosis infection is low in the age group up to approximately 45 years. HIV infection will; therefore; not substantially increase the number of tuberculosis cases