Background: While The Bahamas have significantly reduced poor reproductive health outcomes among adolescents and emerging adults, data indicate that youth are engaged in sexual risk behaviors. Substance use has been linked to increased risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections in other contexts. There are limited data on Bahamian youth in relation to consumption of alcohol and marijuana use and engagement in sexual behaviors.
Objective: This study aimed to assess potential relationships between alcohol and marijuana use and engagement in sexual behavior among government secondary school students in New Providence, The Bahamas.
Materials And Methods: Total sample size was 2572, and about 56% of respondents were female. Mean age was 14.2 (SD 2.7 years). Cross-sectional data came from a baseline survey conducted as part of a longitudinal randomized controlled evaluation of a school-based HIV prevention and reproductive health program in New Providence.
Results: Overall, 46.5% (519) males and 44.8% (652) females reported alcohol consumption; 7.3% (82) males and 1.7% (25) females reported use of marijuana in the last 6 months. About 43% (477) male respondents and 16% (231) female respondents reported ever having vaginal sex. Logistic regression analysis indicates that increased likelihood of engaging in sex during the past 6 months is associated with being older, male, and consuming alcohol and marijuana.
Conclusion: These data provide a 'global correlation' between substance use and engagement in sexual behaviors among Bahamian adolescents. Longitudinal research is needed to assess event specific risks and identify mediating and moderating factors. These findings indicate the importance of integrating reproductive health and substance use education.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2014-0079 | DOI Listing |
COVID
October 2024
Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Background: People living with HIV (PWH) frequently have co-morbid substance use disorders that may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined associations between COVID-related stress and increased substance use among PWH in Washington State.
Methods: Between August 2020 and March 2021, we conducted an online survey of 397 PWH in Western Washington.
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Laboratory of NeuroImaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland.
Importance: Cannabis use has increased globally, but its effects on brain function are not fully known, highlighting the need to better determine recent and long-term brain activation outcomes of cannabis use.
Objective: To examine the association of lifetime history of heavy cannabis use and recent cannabis use with brain activation across a range of brain functions in a large sample of young adults in the US.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study used data (2017 release) from the Human Connectome Project (collected between August 2012 and 2015).
AIDS Behav
January 2025
Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) have high rates of substance use, which increases their risk for HIV. Digital Health Interventions (DHI) have the potential to address HIV risk overall and reduce harms in the context of substance use. However, there is limited research on how YMSM with different substance use patterns respond to HIV DHIs and how these programs impact participant outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Drug Form Technology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211 A, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.
Introduction: The official implementation of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis raw materials for medicinal use has permitted doctors to prescribe and pharmacists to prepare cannabis-based formulations. The objective of the pharmaceutical development and manufacturing process optimization work was to propose a suppository formulation containing doses of 25 mg and 50 mg of tetra-hydrocannabinol (∆-9-THC) as an alternative to existing inhalable or orally administered formulations. The formulation could be used for rectal or vaginal administration, thereby providing dosage control in the treatment of endometriosis and other conditions involving pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealthcare (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Urology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
: The impact of lifestyle on lower urinary tract symptoms has been deeply evaluated in recent years; however, studies in the young population are missing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of alcohol intake, tobacco and cannabinoid smoking, physical activity, and dietary regime on urinary symptoms and sexual function in young adults under 30 years of age. : A prospectively enrolled population of healthy young adults of both sexes under 30 years of age was selected.
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