William D. Ramos

Loneliness, HIV-related stigma, and condom use among a predominantly rural sample of HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM).

Most previous studies of the sexual behaviors of men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV are based on samples recruited within relatively urban and suburban areas of the United States. Using an internet-based questionnaire, we assessed HIV-related stigma, loneliness, and event-level sexual behaviors in a sample of HIV positive MSM (n = 100) residing within a largely rural area in the Midwestern United States. HIV-related stigma was correlated with loneliness (r = 0.619, p < 0.01). Loneliness was negatively associated with condom usage with the most recent partner of unknown status (p < 0.05). Namely, a 1-unit increase in the UCLA loneliness score was met with a 10% decrease in odds of condom usage. Further studies are warranted that explore loneliness, within the context of HIV-related stigma, among HIV-positive MSM residing in rural areas. More refined data will inform clinical and social service practice, as they provide much-needed information on sexual health outcomes and experiences of an often underserved and under studied population.

Experiences of HIV-positive gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men residing in relatively rural areas

Most previous studies of the sexual behaviour of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men living with HIV are based on samples of men recruited within relatively urban and suburban areas of the USA. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential challenges associated with HIV-related stigma and residing in a relatively rural area. We conducted a qualitative study based in south-central Indiana, a relatively rural area of the USA. Twenty-three HIV-positive gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, aged 21–48 years, were interviewed on topics regarding community engagement, perceived HIV-related stigma, relationship formation, sexual behaviour and HIV status disclosure. Findings indicate HIV-related stigma is commonly reported at the interpersonal and community levels. Because of this, men face complex situations on how and when to disclose their HIV status to members of their social and sexual networks. Although many participants reported many challenges associated with relationship formation, all expressed a desire for romantic and/or sexual connections with other men and/or women. Results suggest that new programmatic approaches are necessary to inform the work of social service and medical providers on mechanisms to intervene and combat stigma and discrimination inherent in communities, programmes and policies.

Bystander CPR is associated with improved neurologically favourable survival in cardiac arrest following drowning

BACKGROUND Cardiac arrest associated with drowning is a major public health concern with limited research available on outcome. This investigation aims to define the population at risk, and identify factors associated with neurologically favourable survival. METHODS The Cardiac Arrest Registry for Enhanced Survival (CARES) database was queried for patients who had suffered cardiac arrest following drowning between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015. The primary outcomes of interest were for favourable or unfavourable neurological outcome at hospital discharge, as defined by Cerebral Performance Category (CPC). RESULTS A total of 919 drowning patients were identified. Neurological outcome data was available in 908 patients. Neurologically favourable survival was significantly associated with bystander CPR (Odds Ratio (OR)=2.94; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.86-4.64; p<0.001), witnessed drowning (OR=2.6; 95% CI 1.69-4.01; p<0.001) and younger age (OR=0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98; p<0.001). Public location of drowning (OR=1.17; 95% CI 0.77-1.79; p=0.47), male gender (OR=0.9, 95% CI 0.57-1.43; p=0.66), and shockable rhythm (OR=1.54; 95% CI 0.76-3.12; p=0.23), were not associated with favourable neurological survival. AED application prior to EMS was associated with a decreased likelihood of favourable neurological outcome (OR=0.38; 95% CI 0.28-0.66; p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, bystander CPR (adjusted OR 3.02, 95% CI 1.85-4.92, p<0.001), witnessed drowning (adjusted OR 3.27, 95% CI 2.0-5.36, p<0.001) and younger age (adjusted OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98, p<0.001) remained associated with neurologically favourable survival. CONCLUSIONS Neurologically favourable survival after drowning remains low but is improved by bystander CPR. Shockable rhythms were uncommon and not associated with improved outcomes.

Practice Makes Perfect: Student Employee Transferable Skill Utilization in Campus Recreation

Student employment is a vital aspect of development for many college students during their matriculation. This exploratory study examined the self-reported utilization of desirable transferable skills by student employees in a variety of campus recreation settings. A survey of 417 campus recreation student employees was conducted, asking how often different transferable skills were utilized within the course of their employment. While it is recognized that no one environment may be able to provide for all transferable skills, analyses were undertaken with regard to the skills that were reported to be the least utilized (writing and computer skills) in an effort to understand what recreational environments better allow for the ongoing development of these skills and to identify areas of improvement for student employees in campus recreation with regard to transferable skill development.

Social motivation and health in college club swimming

ABSTRACT Objective: Participation in recreational sport clubs on campus is a popular student activity nationwide. These sport-based organizations provide a host of benefits within recognized dimensions of health and wellness. Understanding participants’ motives for engaging in these types of activities can provide insight in design and delivery and enhance participant health. This study focuses on outcomes related to the social motivations for participation in a recreational sport swim club and their potential relationship to social health. Participants: Current members of recreational swimming clubs were contacted for participation in the study from March-April 2016. Methods: A Leisure Motivation Scale (LMS) survey was sent electronically to 196 collegiate swim clubs nationwide. Aggregate and multivariate analyses from 1011 responses were conducted to examine the social motivation and motivational differences of participants. Results: Social motivations emerged as the predominate motivational construct, indicating important implications for social health improvement through participation. Demographically, results indicated no statistically significant differences in social motivation factors based on participant gender, and statistically significant differences within participant race, university affiliation and practice frequency. Conclusions: Impacts of these findings are important for practitioners and participants when evaluating the potential these programs have to influence participant social health.

Drowning Prevention: Assessment of a Classroom-Based Water Safety Education Program in Vietnam:

Youth drowning continues to be a primary public health issue globally with Eurasian countries experiencing some of the highest recorded rates of injury and death in aquatic settings. The country of Vietnam is currently working toward reducing the number of youth drowning fatalities. Part of these efforts is the introduction of an in-school water safety educational program. For this study, pilot pre/post data were acquired and used to assess overall knowledge acquisition and changes in knowledge of youth in grades 1 to 5 in central Vietnam. A total of 229 schools participated, resulting in 40 198 usable surveys. The results indicated that overall there was a significant change in scores with an acceptable effect size between measures. Mean scores for each of the water safety messages were rated as acceptable (above 90%), satisfactory (between 70% and 90%), and areas of concern (under 70%). Recommendations were made to program leaders about identified areas of concern.

Physical activity levels and pattern of use for youth participants at a traditional aquatic venue

In an effort to encourage youth to acquire recommended levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), we need to examine affordances available to enhance opportunities. Included for consideration should be built environments such as swimming pools which can have significant impacts through leisure service delivery to promote active lifestyles. For this study, The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC), was employed at a traditional aquatic venue during July and August in the Midwestern region of the U.S. Data was collected on three physical activity postures for youths age 4 to 18 along with variables including: (a) age, (b) gender, (c) physical activity posture, and (d) areas of participation termed target areas. A total of 3780 observations were taken into account during analysis. To detect differences among key variables, One-Way ANOVA and t-tests were performed. Descriptive results indicated that MVPA accounted for 70% of activity in the aquatic venue. Overall, female youths generated more MVPA within target areas compared to males, and youth as a single group consistently scored higher in all target areas as well as overall in MVPA. Significant differences were discovered in relation to several target areas. Findings from the study indicate that the use of a traditional aquatic venue can have positive impacts on youth physical activity and assist in meeting national standards for daily requirements of MVPA. It is also indicated that design features of an aquatic venue can play a role in determining levels of engagement and physical activity.