Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions for women.

The present study is a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions for women in the USA. Twenty-four articles from 1989-1997 were included. We evaluated five ethnic groupings (All Ethnicities Combined, African-American, White, Hispanic and a Mixed Ethnicity group) over four time periods (post-test, less than two months after the intervention, 2-3 months after the intervention and 6-24 months after the intervention) on three HIV-related sexuality outcome variables (HIV/AIDS knowledge, self-efficacy and sexual risk reduction behaviour). The HIV interventions appear effective at improving knowledge about HIV/AIDS and increasing sexual risk reduction behaviours for all ethnicities examined at all follow-up periods, with one exception. The findings for self-efficacy are less consistent. The interventions were less consistently effective for African-American women, for whom significant improvements in feelings of self-efficacy were only seen six months or longer after the intervention. The present analysis elucidates ethnic differences which may have previously been obscured while demonstrating convincingly that HIV interventions are generally effective for women of many different ethnicities.

Fat phobia scale revisited: the short form.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a shortened form of the original 50-item fat phobia scale. METHOD: The first factor from the original fat phobia scale-undisciplined, inactive and unappealing-was identified as a potential short form of the scale. A new sample of 255 people completed the original 50-item scale. The reliability of a shortened 14-item version of the scale was tested and compared to that of the full scale using both the new sample and the original sample of 1135 study participants. RESULTS: The fat phobia scale-short form demonstrated excellent reliability in both samples and was strongly correlated with the 50-item scale. Mean and 90th percentile scores are given for both the long and short versions of the scale. CONCLUSION: The shortened fat phobia scale is expected to increase the utility of the measure in a diverse array of research and clinical settings. Future research should focus on developing scale norms for the general population and conducting research on fat phobia in males and among different ethnic groups.

Masculinity scores as an artifact of feminist attitude: evidence from a study of lesbians and college women.

Data from a sample of lesbian women (n = 58) and college women (n = 129) are analyzed to examine the relationship between feminism (AWS), sexual orientation, and a PAQ-defined masculinity score. While lesbians have higher M scores, they also have very high AWS scores. When AWS is controlled in a multiple regression analysis, the difference on M scores between the two sexual orientation groups disappears. The results support the hypothesis that high masculinity scores for women represent strong self-confidence and independence, characteristics of those with positive feminist outlooks. We also argue that measures of traits such as independence and expressiveness need to be labeled as such, and not as "masculinity" or "femininity."

The safety of dorsal penile nerve block for neonatal circumcision.

BACKGROUND: Dorsal penile nerve block (DPNB) was first described for use in neonatal circumcision in 1978. Since then, many studies have documented its effectiveness in alleviating pain in newborns undergoing circumcision. In 1989, the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledged that DPNB may relieve the pain and stress of circumcision but stopped short of endorsing its routine use in this procedure, citing lack of data on its safety. METHODS: To determine the types and rates of complications from DPNB used for neonatal circumcision, the authors conducted a retrospective review of hospital records of 1358 circumcised male infants delivered at an urban medical center during a 1-year period. RESULTS: Of the 1358 records reviewed, 1222 (90%) had sufficient documentation to be included in the study. DPNB was used in 1022 (84%) of the circumcisions. Complications occurred in 12 cases (11 with small ecchymoses at injection sites and one with excessive bleeding from the needle stick), for a rate of 1.2%. No cases of lidocaine toxicity, voiding delay, or vascular compromise were noted. There was a trend toward increased incidence of injection-site hematomas with the Plastibell as compared with the Gomco technique (P = .07). There were no significant differences in complication rates for DPNB performed by less experienced operators (eg, medical students and residents) compared with more experienced operators (staff physicians). CONCLUSIONS: This study corroborates findings of smaller case studies, indicating that DPNB is associated with a low rate of minor complications.

The relation of gender and sexual orientation to measures of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny: a further analysis.

Data from a survey of 58 gay men and 58 lesbians are compared to college men and women on Spence and Helmreich's (1978) Personality Attributes Questionnaire measures of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny. Lesbians had higher M scores than college women, and gay men had lower M scores than college men, with F scores being similar across sexual orientation groups, within gender. Androgyny measures differed only by gender, not by sexual orientation. Further analysis shows that lesbians' high M scores come largely from their high self-ratings as independent, while college men's high M scores reflect strong competitiveness. Questions are raised about the validity of these measures for comparing these groups.