Condom use behaviours among 18-24 year-old urban African American males: a qualitative study.

The purpose of this pilot project was to develop, administer and assess a brief male-focused and behavioural-driven condom promotion programme for young adult African American males in an urban setting. To achieve the aims of this study, linkages with local community centres were initially fostered and both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed. Based on relevant tenets of the social cognitive theory and the stages of change model, a series of focus groups were conducted among the target population, recruited from non-traditional urban settings, to identify and further explore their perceived condom use barriers and facilitators in order to support programme development. Specifically, the topical items addressed those young men's perceptions of sexuality and condom use within three broad contexts: general sexual behaviours, condom use behaviours, and the relationship between condoms and substance use. The focus group discussions were audiotaped and the transcribed data summarized and analysed based on those thematic topics. The findings revealed that significant myths, misconceptions and knowledge gaps exist regarding HIV/STD-related prevention, condom promotion and substance use. The findings imply that there is a critical need to develop target group suitable condom promotion programmes in order to successfully promote, foster and sustain condom use among high-risk populations.

Impact of net pen aquaculture on lake water quality.

A 3-year study was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assessing water quality related impacts of aquaculture of 250,000 channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in floating net pens in the Rock Creek Arm of Lake Texoma, Oklahoma/Texas. Five large nylon nets suspended from a floating framework of galvanized metal anchored in open water 100 m offshore made up the net pens with fish stocking densities varying from 88 to 219 fish/m3. Water quality sampling was conducted biweekly from April to September and monthly from October to March at three locations. On all sampling dates field measurements of water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity were recorded at 1 m depth intervals and water samples were collected at a depth of 0.6 m and near the bottom of the water column at each site. Sample analyses included: total alkalinity, total hardness, turbidity, chloride, sulfate, orthophosphate, total phosphorus, nitrate-N, nitrite-N, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, biochemical oxygen demand, and chlorophyll a. The results showed statistically significant decreases in water temperature and dissolved oxygen and significant increases in field conductivity in surface waters near the net pens relative to other sampling sites. The most dramatic water quality effect observed during the study was decrease in dissolved oxygen levels near the net pens following lake turnover in the second year.

Sixteen years age limit for learner drivers in Sweden--an evaluation of safety effects.

Through a reform implemented in Sweden, September 1993, the age limit for practising car driving was lowered from 17 1/2 to 16 years while the licensing age remained 18. The purpose of lowering the age limit was to give the learner drivers an opportunity to acquire more experience as drivers before being allowed to drive on their own. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the reform in terms of accident involvement and data were therefore obtained from the national register of police reported accidents. The results show that after the reform there was a general reduction in the accident risk (accidents per 10 million km) of novice drivers with approximately 15%. Additional analyses show that the reduction of accident risk in the group who utilised the new age limit was approximately 40%, whereas those who did not utilise the prolonged training period did not benefit at all. Between 45 and 50% of the age population were found to utilise the reform. The accident reduction does not seem to be just an initial first year effect since the results were similar over 3 years of novice drivers during their first 2 years with a licence. These results suggest that the reform has been beneficial for the safety of novice drivers in Sweden. The results also suggest a potential for additional safety improvements if more young learner drivers can be brought to utilise the low age limit.

Children's road safety and the strategy of voluntary traffic safety clubs.

This study focuses on the problem of traffic safety among children and the effectiveness of voluntary traffic clubs. General doubts are growing in regard to this traditional strategy of teaching and training children how to act in specific traffic situations. It has been shown that their knowledge and behavior improve, but the effect on accident risk is not clear. In this study, one model for traditional teaching of this type, a voluntary traffic safety club for children, is evaluated in terms of accident risk. The data have been collected through questionnaires to members and nonmembers of the club. Approximately 20% of Swedish children are members of the club. The results show that members do not have a lower accident risk than nonmembers. On the contrary, the risk in this nonexperimental study is found to be higher among members. The use of safety equipment is, however, higher among members. The results are discussed in terms of systematic differences between the groups, i.e. socioeconomics, and in terms of the possibility that the general strategy of the club leads to overestimation of the safety effects.

EPA's control technology approach to assisting states and regions with air toxics problems: five case studies.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in June 1985 a new strategy to reduce public exposure to toxic air pollutants in the ambient air. Over the next 5-8 years, the strategy called for State and Local authorities to take on more of the lead regulatory role, with the Agency providing technical and financial assistance to their efforts. The shift in emphasis and responsibility from the Federal level to State and Local air toxics programs and the need to transfer expertise from the Federal level to the appropriate State or Local level prompted EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) and EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) to develop and implement an innovative technical assistance program. This program is called the Control Technology Center (CTC). It has since been expanded to include technical assistance in the area of control of air toxics, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); emission measurements; and other areas where expertise is available to ORD and OAQPS. During the CTC's first year of operation, operating guidelines were developed and three categories of technical assistance were established. These categories are telephone HOTLINE calls, direct engineering assistance, and technical guidance projects. The CTC HOTLINE is a special telephone number which State and Local Agencies can call for easy access to EPA personnel who can provide prompt assistance in a variety of ways including discussions, references to pertinent literature, and referrals to other EPA personnel. In some cases, a HOTLINE call will require more in-depth engineering analysis indicating a need for direct engineering assistance. These projects tend to be short-term (2 to 3 months) and specific in nature. In some cases, several agencies may indicate a need for information on the same source, or a group of Agencies may make a joint request. In these cases, the CTC Steering Committee, a group who advises the CTC managers, may decide that a technical guidance project is indicated. Technical guidance projects are longer-term and are intended to be of broad interest, useful to many agencies. This paper discusses the development of the CTC, experience to date with its operation, and future plans. In addition, five CTC projects are discussed to illustrate the assistance provided.