Over-the-counter but out of reach: a pharmacy-based survey of OTC syringe sales in Tijuana, Mexico.

Sterile syringe access is critical to HIV prevention efforts targeting injection drug users (IDUs) but some pharmacies do not sell syringes over-the-counter (OTC) even where such sales are legal. We conducted a pharmacy survey in Tijuana, Mexico (where OTC sales are legal) to characterize attitudes toward syringe sales and to explore support for expanding pharmacy-based HIV prevention efforts. Of 203 respondents, 28% supported OTC syringe sales to IDUs and 74% said their pharmacy required a prescription for at least some syringe sales. Support for OTC syringe sales was independently associated with selling OTC syringes, understanding the role of sterile syringes in HIV prevention, and recognizing pharmacies as an important health resource for IDUs. Most respondents supported an expanded role for pharmacies in HIV prevention, exclusive of OTC syringe sales. Our study provides information for developing interventions to promote OTC syringe sales and expanding pharmacy-based distribution of HIV-related information and resources.

Reliability of translated measures assessing dating violence among Mexican adolescents.

Research on the prevalence and correlates of dating violence in Mexican teens is challenged by the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment tools. This study modified, translated, and back-translated the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADRI; Wolfe et al., 2001) and the Attitudes Towards Dating Violence Scales (Price, Byers, & the Dating Violence Research Team, 1999) for Mexican adolescents. Analyses on 307 adolescents (15-18 years old) from Monterrey and Mexicali, Mexico, revealed that most of the translated CADRI subscales and Attitudes Towards Dating Violence Scales had acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability coefficients. The study offers some evidence that the measures may be useful in assessing dating violence in Mexican teens.