Evaluation of school‐based AIDS education curricula in San Francisco

Students in 3 middle (n=385) and 3 high schools (n=254) in the San Francisco Unified School District participated in the evaluation of an AIDS education curriculum. Classes within‐schools were designated as either intervention classes or nonintervention classes. Students in intervention classes received 3 class periods of AIDS instruction with a newly developed curriculum. Students in nonintervention classes did not receive any special AIDS instruction. All students completed a pretest and posttest AIDS knowledge and attitude survey. The results indicated that AIDS instruction classes demonstrated a significant knowledge‐advantage, as well as change in attitudes (e.g., reflecting greater tolerance for attending class with students who may have AIDS or HIV infection).     

A macrosimulation approach to the investigation of natural fertility

This paper is part of a long-term investigation known as the Mormon Historical Demography Project. It examines the capability of a simulation model, originally proposed by John Bongaarts (1976), to fit the natural fertility pattern which characterized the mid-nineteenth century Mormon population. Application of this model permits estimates to be made of the historical timing and age-incidence of fertility limitation. A sensitivity analysis of the model’s parameters demonstrates that simple changes in the model’s proximate determinants of fertility, excluding contraceptive practices, would be insufficientto account for later transition effects. Thus the results successfully capture the dynamics underlying the Mormon natural fertility pattern as well as offer a framework for future modeling of the transition away from natural fertility.