The aim of this study was to describe gay and bisexual men's experiences of bathhouses and their perceptions of HIV risk associated with sex in this context. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of gay and bisexual men-14 HIV-positive and 9 HIV-negative-who reported ever frequenting a bathhouse. The sample was selected from the Polaris HIV Seroconversion Study, a longitudinal open cohort study of documented recent seroconverters and HIV-negative controls in Ontario, Canada.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore family physicians' experiences in dealing with genetic susceptibility to cancer.
Design: Qualitative study using focus groups.
Setting: Four Ontario sites: northern, rural, urban, and inner city.
Objectives: To determine (a) the respondents' perceptions of 4 unclear or conflicting cancer screening guidelines: prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for men over 50, mammography for women 40-49, colorectal screening by fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), and colonoscopy for patients over 40; and (b) the influence of various factors on the decision to order these tests.
Study Design: National Canadian mail survey of randomly selected family physicians.
Population: Family physicians in active practice (n=565) selected from rural and urban family medicine sites in 5 provinces representing the main regions in Canada.
Objective: Our purpose was to determine the factors involved in the cancer screening decisions of family physicians in situations where the clinical practice guidelines are unclear or conflicting as opposed to when they are clear and uncontroversial.
Study Design: We analyzed discussions with focus groups using a constant comparative approach.
Population: A total of 73 family physicians in active practice participated in 10 focus groups (1 urban group and 1 rural group in each of 5 Canadian provinces).
Using cost-of-illness methodology applied to a comprehensive survey of 114 daily opiate users not currently in or seeking treatment for their addiction, we estimated the 1996 social costs of untreated opioid dependence in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). The survey collected data on social and demographic characteristics, drug use history, physical and mental health status, the use of health care and substance treatment services, drug use modality and sex-related risks of infectious diseases, sources of income, as well as criminality and involvement with the law enforcement system. The annual social cost generated by this sample, calculated at Canadian $5.
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