Vaginal Douching Practices Among Women Attending a University in the Southern United States

Abstract

The authors assessed the frequency, characteristics, and motivational antecedents of vaginal douching practices among 125 White and 155 Black female college students. Overall, 40% of the students had ever douched and half of those women currently douche. Black women were most likely to be encouraged to douche by their mothers, whereas White women were more influenced by television advertisements. Among the sexually active women, being Black, using oral contraceptives, using spermicides, and being encouraged to douche by their mothers or by the media were independently associated with ever having douched. These associations were present among both Black and White women and were stronger when current douching was compared with never having douched. Women who were discouraged from douching by a physician or nurse were more likely to have stopped the practice. Douching is common, even among educated young women; nurses' and physicians' advice to stop douching appears to have a salutary effect.     

Vaginal Douching Among University Women in the Southeastern United States

Objective: The authors assessed the knowledge, beliefs about, and practices of vaginal douching among women attending 2 universities in the southeastern United States. Participants: There were 416 participants in this study; 46.9% were black and 44.5% were white. Methods: The authors administered a 30-item questionnaire to women enrolled in health-related and social science courses at 2 southeastern universities. Results: Approximately 38% of participants reported vaginal douching, mostly for hygienic reasons (70.7%). Most women first learned about douching from their mother. Douching was more common and more frequent among black women (48%) than among white women (27%). Age of first douche correlated positively with age of first sexual intercourse and age of first period. Conclusion: Women who had been informed not to douche by a healthcare professional were less likely to have douched within the past 6 months than were women who were not given this information. Misconceptions about douching are common and should be addressed by healthcare professionals.     

Factors Associated with the Report of Penetration in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

ABSTRACT

This study examines the factors associated with the report of penetration in child sexual abuse cases. We reviewed the records of 1,885 children under age 18 who were evaluated at our facilities for possible sexual abuse. Multiple logistic regression was used to model the effects of a number of variables and their interactions concerning the child, perpetrator and abuse as they related to different types of penetration. Older children are more likely to report all types of penetration except for oral contact with the perpetrator's genitals. Assaults by strangers are more likely to result in penetration, as are abuse situations of longer duration. Ethnicity is an important explanatory variable for both vaginal and rectal penetration. Black girls are more likely to report vaginal penetration, whereas Mexican American children are more likely to report rectal penetration. Gender is also an important determinant, with boys being significantly more likely to report rectal and oral penetration. This study demonstrates that the child's gender, age and ethnicity, the relationship to the perpetrator and the duration of the abuse are all associated with the report of penetration in child sexual abuse.     

Vaginal douching practices among women attending a university in the southern United States

The authors assessed the frequency, characteristics, and motivational antecedents of vaginal douching practices among 125 White and 155 Black female college students. Overall, 40% of the students had ever douched and half of those women currently douche. Black women were most likely to be encouraged to douche by their mothers, whereas White women were more influenced by television advertisements. Among the sexually active women, being Black, using oral contraceptives, using spermicides, and being encouraged to douche by their mothers or by the media were independently associated with ever having douched. These associations were present among both Black and White women and were stronger when current douching was compared with never having douched. Women who were discouraged from douching by a physician or nurse were more likely to have stopped the practice. Douching is common, even among educated young women; nurses' and physicians' advice to stop douching appears to have a salutary effect.     

Vaginal douching among university women in the southeastern United States

OBJECTIVE: The authors assessed the knowledge, beliefs about, and practices of vaginal douching among women attending 2 universities in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: There were 416 participants in this study; 46.9% were black and 44.5% were white. METHODS: The authors administered a 30-item questionnaire to women enrolled in health-related and social science courses at 2 southeastern universities. RESULTS: Approximately 38% of participants reported vaginal douching, mostly for hygienic reasons (70.7%). Most women first learned about douching from their mother. Douching was more common and more frequent among black women (48%) than among white women (27%). Age of first douche correlated positively with age of first sexual intercourse and age of first period. CONCLUSION: Women who had been informed not to douche by a healthcare professional were less likely to have douched within the past 6 months than were women who were not given this information. Misconceptions about douching are common and should be addressed by healthcare professionals.     

Relationship of Work Hours With Selected Health Behaviors and Academic Progress Among a College Student Cohort

Approximately 57% of college students work while attending school. Health risks related to working while in college have not been widely studied. Objective: The authors' purpose in this study was to determine associations between hours worked, binge drinking, sleep habits, and academic performance among a college student cohort. Participants and Methods: The authors randomly selected a sample of 1,700 undergraduates from a southeastern US university and mailed to them a survey requesting a variety of self-reported health behaviors and hours worked. A total of 903 completed questionnaires were received, indicating a response rate of 57.3%. Results: Binge drinking, less sleep, and lower academic performance were significantly associated with working 20 or more hours per week. Those variables were not associated with working fewer than 20 hours per week. Conclusions: Although administrators and others in higher education are aware of the impact of economics on a school's ability to operate, they may not be aware of the impact on students' health.     

Factors influencing college women's contraceptive behavior: An application of the integrative model of behavioral prediction

Objective: This study investigated variables within the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IMBP) as well as differences across socioeconomic status (SES) levels within the context of inconsistent contraceptive use among college women. Participants: A nonprobability sample of 515 female college students completed an Internet-based survey between November 2014 and February 2015. Methods: Respondents were asked about their contraception use, knowledge and information sources, demographic information, and IMBP factors, including attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Results: While overall attitudes, norms, PBC, and intentions for contraceptive use were high, only 46.8% of women used contraception consistently. Data also revealed only moderate levels of knowledge about contraception. While there were no differences across SES levels for attitudes, PBC, norms or knowledge, SES levels did differ in sources used to acquire contraceptive information. Conclusions: This study highlights the need to consider where college women acquire contraceptive information which is associated with SES.     

The Slope of Change: An Environmental Management Approach to Reduce Drinking on a Day of Celebration at a US College

Abstract

Objective: This research extends the literature on event-specific environmental management with a case study evaluation of an intervention designed to reduce student drinking at a university's year-end celebration. Participants: Cornell University undergraduates were surveyed each May from 2001 through 2009. Sample sizes ranged from 322 to 1,973. Methods: Randomly sampled surveys were conducted after a large, annual spring campus celebration. An environmental management plan was initiated in 2003 that included increased enforcement of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) law. Results: In the short term, drinking at the campus celebration decreased while drinking before the event increased. Over time, the intervention significantly reduced high-risk drinking on the day of the event, especially among those under the age of 21. Conclusion: These findings are contrary to the argument that enforcement of MLDA laws simply leads to increased high-risk drinking, and therefore have implications for how colleges approach the challenge of student alcohol misuse.     

Factors Influencing Believing and Blaming in Reports of Child Sexual Abuse: Survey of a Community Sample

ABSTRACT

Believing and blaming of alleged victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) was measured in a community sample of 202 adults. Subjects completed a questionnaire consisting of vignettes in which 11-year-old girls reported being sexually abused. A majority of respondents viewed the girl's report of sexual abuse as truthful; however, alleged victim retractions significantly reduced the credibility ratings for those reports. The effect of perpetrator socioeconomic status (SES) did not reach significance on either alleged victim believing or blaming. Females were significantly more likely than males to believe the girl's report of abuse, and more likely to believe children's reports in general. Females were significantly less likely than males to blame the girl for the occurrence of the abuse. Gender differences on believing and blaming remained significant when effects of respondent age and education were removed as covariates. Estimates of the prevalence of CSA varied widely, with no significant gender difference. Over half of the respondents believed that alleged victims aged five years or younger should be allowed to testify in court in CSA cases.     

Parental emotional warmth and psychological Suzhi as mediators between socioeconomic status and problem behaviours in Chinese children

ObjectiveThis study investigated psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and problem behaviours in Chinese children.MethodsParticipants were 1128 children (556 females) from two Chinese elementary schools, aged 8–13 years (M = 10.82, SD = 1.26), attending the 3rd–6th grades. Children provided self-report on parental emotional warmth and psychological suzhi, whereas parents reported on SES and problem behaviours.ResultsData analyses, including structural equation modelling (SEM)—employed to test a three-path mediation effect of parental emotional warmth and psychological suzhi after controlling for gender and grade—revealed that: (1) SES, parental emotional warmth, and psychological suzhi were negatively correlated with children's problem behaviours; (2) SES indirectly affected children's psychological suzhi through parental emotional warmth; (3) psychological suzhi mediated the relation between parental emotional warmth and problem behaviours; and (4) children belonging to families with low SES were less likely to receive emotional support from their parents. This significantly predicted low psychological suzhi levels, which in turn negatively affected problem behaviours.ConclusionsStrategies that help parents provide warmth and support and those that help children improve psychological suzhi may help reduce problem behaviours in vulnerable groups.     

Attitudes Toward Premarital Sex in Contemporary Vietnam: Findings from a National Survey

ABSTRACT

Despite growing concerns over increasingly relaxed sexual culture in Vietnam, population-based research that investigates the openness to premarital sex in contemporary Vietnam remains scarce. Using data from the Vietnam Population and AIDS Indicator Survey 2005, this study examined the acceptance toward premarital sex and documented significant differences in attitudes by gender, age, and marital status. Attitudes of Vietnamese toward premarital sex generally remained conservative. Men were more permissive than women. Among both male and female respondents, higher acceptance levels were reported to men's practice of premarital sex than to women's same practice. Unmarried respondents were more open than those who were married. A growing openness toward premarital sex among the younger age was found only among the married. Results suggest the coexistence of traditional values and a growing permissiveness toward premarital sex in Vietnam.     

The impact of a health education intervention on health behaviors and mental health among Chinese college students

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of a health education intervention on health behaviors, self-efficacy, and well-being among college students. Participants: Between March and October 2016, a total of 532 undergraduates participated. Methods: A theory-based intervention was conducted at Wuhan University, China. Participants were assigned to a control or intervention group (IG). The IG attended a 7-week health education class on knowledge, attitude, and practice of health behaviors. Results: Participants in the IG, compared with those in the control group (CG), reported significantly increased prevalence of high physical activity and regular breakfast, as well as lower screen time, sugar beverage intake, and Internet addiction tendency. Furthermore, intervention students improved in health behavior scores (p?=?0.040), compared with the CG, while the changes in subjective well-being and self-efficacy remained similar between the two groups. Conclusions: Health education may promote health behaviors among Chinese college students.     

Gender orientation and alcohol-related weight control behavior among male and female college students

Objective: We examine weight control behavior used to (a) compensate for caloric content of heavy alcohol use; and (b) enhance the psychoactive effects of alcohol among college students. We evaluate the role of gender orientation and sex. Participants: Participants completed an online survey (N = 651; 59.9% women; 40.1% men). Method: Weight control behavior was assessed via the Compensatory-Eating-and-Behaviors-in Response-to-Alcohol-Consumption-Scale. Control variables included sex, race/ethnicity, age, and depressive symptoms. Gender orientation was measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The prevalence and probability of alcohol-related weight control behavior using ordinal logistic regression are reported. Results: Men and women do not significantly differ in compensatory-weight-control-behavior. However, regression models suggest that recent binge drinking, other substance use, and masculine orientation are positively associated with alcohol-related weight control behavior. Conclusions: Sex was not a robust predictor of weight control behavior. Masculine orientation should be considered a possible risk factor for these behaviors and considered when designing prevention and intervention strategies.     

Cigarette Smoking Among Korean International College Students in the United States

Abstract

Objective and Participants: This study explored (1) the prevalence of cigarette smoking among South Korean international college students in the United States, (2) differences in smoking between on- and off-campus living arrangements, and (3) predictors of an increase in smoking over time in the United States Methods: An online survey was completed by 1,201 students at 52 4-year US universities (34% response rate). Results: The overall smoking prevalence was 43.5%. The smoking rate (29.0%) of female students was higher than that (4%) of female college students in South Korea. Sex, living place, living situation, length of stay as a student in the United States, home smoking rules, campus-wide tobacco-free policies, and levels of acculturative stress, anxiety, and depression were significantly associated with an increase in smoking (p < .05). Conclusions: Given the high smoking prevalence among the South Korean students on US college campuses, targeted prevention efforts for these students may be warranted.     

Trends in long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) use,LARC use predictors,and dual-method use among a national sample of college women

Objective: Assess long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) and other contraceptive use trends, identify LARC use predictors, and examine dual method use. Participants: Women in the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) II, aged 18–24 years, who reported having vaginal sex (N = 37,899). Methods: Secondary analyses of Fall 2011–2014 ACHA-NCHA II data. Results: Statistically significant increases in LARC usage and, specifically, implant usage, were found. Characteristics associated with LARC use included age, race/ethnicity, relationship status, and school type. Students reporting LARC use had lower odds of condom usage compared with non-LARC hormonal method users. Conclusion: This analysis of LARC predictors and dual LARC/condom use has implications for research and health promotion efforts. Findings suggest that college health services are well positioned to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of diverse populations of students. College health professionals should elicit students' individual and/or relationship priorities to tailor messaging/services offered for pregnancy/STI prevention.     

The State of the Union: Sexual Health Disparities in a National Sample of US College Students

Abstract

Objective: To examine sexual health disparities between blacks and whites in a national sample of US college students. Participants and Method Summary: Analyses utilized secondary data from 44,165 nonmarried undergraduates (aged 18–24; M = 20.1) responding to the Spring 2007 American College Health Association–National College Health Assessment; 64% were female and 94.7% were white. Results: Whites reported more experience in oral and anal sex, were less likely to use condoms for oral, anal, and vaginal sex, and less likely to have been tested for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) compared with blacks. However, blacks reported more sex partners, lower use of hormonal contraceptives, and higher rates of adverse sexual health outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy. Sexual behaviors and outcomes also varied across gender. Conclusions: This study highlights a need to increase access to hormonal contraceptives and early STI screening/treatment among blacks, improve HIV testing among whites, and increase condom use promotion for all students.     

Adolescent Independence across Immigrant Generations: Age and Ethnic Variations

Abstract

This study examines differences in the level of independence in decision-making experienced by three generations of immigrants and the moderating effects of age, sex, and ethnicity. Data for this study were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results indicate generally less independence in decision-making among first-generation immigrants relative to their higher-generation counterparts; however, the relationship varies significantly with ethnicity and age. Among Latinos, adolescents' level of independence increases across successive immigrant generations to a much greater degree than among other ethnic groups. Age further contributes to this interaction, with evidence of greater increases in independence with age among first-generation immigrant Latinos. Findings demonstrate that cultural traditions with regard to parenting and adolescent socialization are important not only within ethnic groups but also within immigrant generations.