One of the challenges facing researchers in the domain of human immunodeficiency virus prevention is the assessment of condom use in an unbiased self-reported manner. The current study presents the development and preliminary validation of an indirect condom use test (I-CUTE), designed to assess condom use tendencies and to overcome self-report biases. Two samples were included using correlational designs. In sample 1, 88 students from European university completed the I-CUTE with questionnaires of condom use barriers, social desirability, and condom use negotiation self-efficacy. In sample 2, 212 students from sub-Saharan universities completed the I-CUTE with questionnaires of condom use barriers and knowledge. The I-CUTE included 17 pictures of human figures in relation to condom use, where participants had to choose one of the four a-priori given sentences reflecting the figures’ thoughts. This represented a semi-projective, yet standardized test. In sample 1, I-CUTE scores were inversely related to barriers, positively correlated with condom use negotiation self-efficacy and unrelated to social desirability. In sample 2, I-CUTE scores were inversely related to barriers and unrelated to knowledge scores. In a multiple regression, condom use barriers had a unique contribution to explaining variance in I-CUTE scores, beyond the contribution of background variables and knowledge. These results support the preliminary reliability and validity of the I-CUTE tool in a variety of cultures, and reveal its lack of bias by social desirability and the importance of condom use barriers in condom use tendencies.
Thousands of migrants arrived in Europe via the Balkan route, many with various health conditions. The camp of Preševo, Serbia, close to the Macedonian border, was established by the Serbian government and run by the United Nations High Commissioner. The camp was wstablished for Refugees (UNHCR) late in 2015 as a registration and a transfer camp for refugees traveling through the Balkans on their way from the Near East to Western Europe. Refugees stayed at the camp for several hours or a day. NATAN, an Israeli non-governmental volunteer organization, in collaboration with HUMEDICA, a German organization, established a clinic at the camp, staffed by Israeli and German personnel. The Israeli team consisted of a doctor, nurse, and social worker, at least one of whom spoke Arabic. The language barrier was bridged through the fact that Arabic is commonly spoken in Israel, and more than half of the volunteers were Palestinian-Israelis. As for the Farsi language, we were helped by interpreters from the Department of Languages in the University of Belgrade. This report contains data on 2136 consecutive clients visiting the clinic between December 2015 and February 2016. The report focuses on the three most frequent major countries of origin, Syria (51%), Iraq (18%), and Afghanistan (31%). Analysis of the age distribution revealed that 36% were under 18 years of age, while only 5% were above the age of 60. Male gender was predominant. Infections were the most common diagnosis (61%) followed by pain in various body parts (13%). Antibiotics were prescribed in 47.6% of the infections. Most of the visits were for minor illnesses, with very few cases of chronic diseases such as diabetes (28 visits) or hypertension (17 visits). We provide the demographic correlates of migrants' health conditions and discuss the findings in light of past studies and the context of the present sample of migrants.
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