A growing body of research is investigating the effectiveness of abstinence only sexual education. There remains a dearth of research on the relevant sexual health information available to young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Drawing on a mixed-methods study with 526 YMSM, this study explores how and where YMSM receive relevant information on sexual health/behavior. Findings indicate that information related to gay men’s sexuality is not readily available from family, friends or schools. At initiation of anal intercourse, respondents generally had limited information about HIV and STIs. In some cases, this resulted in the perception that activities such as unprotected sex were “low risk”. Many mentioned they first learned about anal sex during their sexual debut, describing painful and/or unpleasant experiences. Some relied on older/more experienced partners, the internet and pornography for information. Findings are discussed in relation to how providers can help YMSM build solid foundations of sexual education to protect them from STI and HIV infection.

Objectives To describe weight, body mass index, blood pressure, lipids, and hormone levels in transgender women and men presenting for initiation of cross-sex hormone therapy at a community clinic in the United States. Methods Twenty three transgender women (persons assigned male at birth who identify as women and want to use estrogen to develop female secondary sex characteristics) and 34 transgender men (persons assigned female at birth who identify as women and want to use testosterone to develop male secondary sex characteristics) presenting for initiation of hormone therapy at a community health center were enrolled. Body mass index, blood pressure, lipids, and sex hormone levels were measured at baseline and 6 months. Persistence of menses at 6 months in transgender men was recorded. Results Sixteen transgender women and 31 transgender men completed the study. Baseline and 6 month median blood pressures and lipid values were within a normal clinical range. Median systolic blood pressure in transgender women dropped from baseline 130.5 mmHg (IQR 11.5) to 120.5 mmHg (IQR 15.5) at 6 months (p=.006). Testosterone levels remained elevated in 33% and estradiol levels were supratherapeutic in 19% of transgender women at 6 months. Median body mass index for transgender men was 29.1 kg/m2 (IQR 11.2) at baseline and (30.0 kg/m2 (IQR 11.4) at 6 months (p=.024). Six month total testosterone levels were subtherapeutic in 32% and estradiol levels remained elevated in 71% of transgender men. Conclusions In transgender women, estrogen therapy, with or without anti-androgen therapy, was associated with lower blood pressure. In transgender men, testosterone therapy was associated with increased body mass index. The study had insufficient power to detect other associations. Monitoring of hormone levels to guide therapy appears to be useful.

Objectives This study was designed to develop a descriptive profile of parents and caregivers who bring their children to the emergency department for non-urgent issues as well as exploring the reasons for presenting to an urban hospital pediatric emergency department for non-urgent conditions. Such work is necessary in order to develop effective interventions. Methods A total of 106 parents/caregivers whose child was triaged with a non-emergent/urgent condition completed a 15–20 minute computerized survey (English and Spanish) in an urban pediatric emergency department. Results The majority of respondents described themselves as Latino (76%) and foreign-born (62%). About half (49%) reported having an annual income of less than $20,000 and 43% of respondents did not have health insurance for themselves. Almost all (95%) of the index children had a primary care physician and health insurance. In spite of being triaged as non-urgent, over half (63%) described their child’s condition as “very” or “extremely” urgent. About half of the respondents reported not receiving basic information on childhood illnesses from their child’s doctor. Reasons for non-urgent visits seemed to revolve around issues of convenience and perception of quality of care. Conclusions Interventions should focus on health literacy and ensure that parents are provided relevant and accurate education on pediatric illnesses and common safety concerns; by increasing parental education on pediatric health, parents may be better able to assess acuity of their child’s health issues.

Although the pervasiveness of heterosexism in the lives of gay and bisexual youth is well established, little is known about the strategies these youth use to cope with stigma and discrimination based on their sexual minority status. In this qualitative study, the authors present findings and implications for clinical practice based on interviews with 43 gay and bisexual young men. Respondents' coping strategies are discussed in relation to current theory and research on coping with stigma, as well as the emerging field of emotion regulation. The narratives from the current study suggest that the emotion regulation paradigm is well suited to understanding the functions of strategies for coping with heterosexism and similar types of stigma.