Search

This paper describes the development of a Dutch online programme called "Long Live Love+" focusing on positive, coercion-free relationships, contraception use, and the prevention of STIs, using the Intervention Mapping (IM) approach. All six steps of the approach were followed. Step 1 confirmed the need for a sexual health programme targeting young people aged 15 and over enrolled in higher level secondary education. Step 2 resulted in the production of a series of matrices-of-changes, including detailed programme objectives at the behavioural and the psycho-social level. Step 3 involved the selection of relevant methods and applications. Step 4 consisted of programme development, resulting in a sexual health programme with online and offline components, and including interactive exercises. Step 5 focused on adoption and implementation and included the production of a detailed teacher manual. Step 6 involved detailed planning for the process and effect evaluation and included interviews with teachers and focus group discussions with students to evaluate their experiences of the programme. The inclusion of a linkage group--and especially the inclusion of teachers in the development of the programme--turned out to be essential in terms of developing a programme in line with their context and needs.

Implementation of health education programs is often inadequately considered or not considered at all in planning, developing and evaluating interventions. With the focus being predominantly on the adoption stage, little is known about the factors influencing the implementation and continuation stages of the diffusion process. This study contributes to the understanding of factors that promote or impede each stage of the diffusion process in the school setting using the sex education program Long Live Love (LLL) as an example. A survey integrating different diffusion-related concepts was completed by 130 teachers. Results showed that teacher curriculum-related beliefs were associated with all stages in the diffusion process. Although adoption of LLL was predominantly related to teacher curriculum-related beliefs, implementation completeness and fidelity and continued use of LLL were also enhanced by contextual factors, namely teacher training and interactive context variables (school policy, governing body support and student response), respectively. The results of this study can be used to optimize the adoption, implementation and continuation of school-based (sexual) health promotion programs.

This study investigated age- and gender-specific associations between parental support and parental knowledge of the child's whereabouts, on the one hand, and sexual experience and sexual health (the ability to have safe and pleasurable sexual experiences) on the other hand. A representative Dutch sample of 1,263 males and 1,353 females (aged 12-25 years), who had previously engaged in sexual intercourse, completed a questionnaire that included measures of these constructs. Both parental support and knowledge were positively associated with contraceptive use, social skills in sexual interactions, sexual satisfaction, and delay of sexual debut. Findings also revealed that the majority of correlations between parental support and sexual experience and sexual health are attributable to the relationship between a supportive family environment and parental knowledge of the child's whereabouts. Parental knowledge thus appeared to be more important for healthy sexual development than parental support.

Abstract Background This paper describes the results of an exploratory qualitative study on Muslim adolescents' views on sexuality in the Netherlands. Methods Data were gathered from an Internet forum on which 44 Muslim and 33 non-Muslim adolescents discussed sexuality as it relates to Islam. These discussions were subsequently analyzed for content using Nvivo 2.0. Results Our analysis revealed several issues that are relevant for the design of future sex education programs targeting Muslim youth. Apart from some expected outcomes regarding, for example, taboos on sexuality, sex outside marriage, abortion, homosexuality and conservative gender roles, our analyses showed that in cases of disputes 1) discussions were polarized, 2) opponents used the same Qur'anic passages to support their views, and 3) the authority of an Imam was questioned when his interpretation of Qur'anic passages was not in line with the views of participants. Conclusions Our findings show that current approaches to sex education among Muslim youth are likely to be unsuccessful given the rigidity of sexual norms in Muslim society. In addition, we also identified new barriers to sex education among Muslim youth (e.g. lack of respect for an Imam who opposes a youth's views on sexuality).

Background Many European countries do not have comprehensive sexually transmitted infection (STI) surveillance in place. The objective was to investigate whether national probability sample surveys are useful in placing STI surveillance into perspective. Methods We used data from the Dutch national cross-sectional probability sample survey on sexual health 2016 (18–34-year-old sexually active individuals). Descriptive analyses were performed regarding STI testing (last year). Test numbers were extrapolated from the survey and compared with surveillance data from sexual health centres (SHCs) (complete) and general practitioners (GPs) (representative estimates from 7% of all GPs). Statistical differences in characteristics between SHC attendees and general population (according to weighted survey participants) were determined using χ2 statistic. Predictors of recent testing at GPs or SHCs were determined using multinomial multivariable logistic regression. Results Of the 17 222 survey invitees, 3217 (19%) were eligible for analyses. Testing uptake was higher in women (17.2%, 14.8–20.0%) than men (11.5%, 9.1–14.3%). The majority of tests were conducted by GPs followed by SHCs and hospitals. Number of tests extrapolated from the survey was similar to SHC surveillance data, but higher than GP surveillance data (women only). Testing at SHCs was associated with high-risk behaviour and with living in highly urbanized areas. Low education level and older age were, next to high-risk behaviour factors, determinants of testing at GPs. Conclusions National probability sample surveys are useful for placing STI surveillance data into perspective by providing insights in testing patterns in the general population and identifying strengths and weaknesses of national surveillance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of a Dutch online programme called Long Live Love+ focusing on positive, coercion-free relationships, contraception use, and the prevention of STIs, using the Intervention Mapping (IM) approach. All six steps of the approach were followed. Step 1 confirmed the need for a sexual health programme targeting young people aged 15 and over enrolled in higher level secondary education. Step 2 resulted in the production of a series of matrices-of-changes, including detailed programme objectives at the behavioural and the psycho-social level. Step 3 involved the selection of relevant methods and applications. Step 4 consisted of programme development, resulting in a sexual health programme with online and offline components, and including interactive exercises. Step 5 focused on adoption and implementation and included the production of a detailed teacher manual. Step 6 involved detailed planning for the process and effect evaluation and included interviews with teachers and focus group discussions with students to evaluate their experiences of the programme. The inclusion of a linkage group – and especially the inclusion of teachers in the development of the programme – turned out to be essential in terms of developing a programme in line with their context and needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the submicroscopical morphology of the microenvironment for T-lymphocytes in the spleen, mice were lethally X-irradiated and injected intravenously with syngeneic thymocytes. 24 hours after cell transfer, small lymphocytes occurred in the thymus dependent area of the spleen: the periarteriolar lymphatic sheath (PALS). They localized preferentially around a special type of mononuclear phagocyte, the Interdigitating Cell (IDC), which is considered to be characteristic for thymus-dependent areas in peripheral lymphoid organs. A close cell contact between both cell types was observed: small lymphocytes protruded into the cytoplasm of the IDC by means of fingerlike protrusions. This type of cell contact seems to induce blast transformation of the lymphoid cells which resulted in the formation of medium sized T-cells. In a control experiment, spleen cells from thymectomized, X-irradiated and bone marrow reconstituted mice were injected intravenously into lethally X-irradiated recipients. These B-lymphocytes, however, were not found to be localized around IDC. They preferentially formed primary follicles at the periphery of lymphocyte-depleted thymus dependent areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To gain insight in the sexual health of young people aged 12 to 25 in the Netherlands. Municipal health services and other stakeholders in the area of the promotion of sexual health were involved in various phases of this study, the results of which can be applied better to maintaining or improving the sexual health of young people., Design: Large-scale representative study with a cross-sectional design which was previously conducted in 2005 and 2012., Method: We used data from students in secondary education (aged 12-16 years) as well as data from a sample drawn from the municipal population registers (aged 17-24 years). Fifteen municipal health services recruited extra respondents from their own regions, so that they obtained reliable and representative figures on the sexual health of young people at a local level. This investment also led to a total of 20,500 young people filling in a digital questionnaire containing questions on a wide range of sexuality-related topics., Results: The study shows that young people are having their first sexual experiences at a later age and protect themselves well against pregnancy. New developments were also apparent in the use of online media for 'sexting' and meeting partners. Condom use was low, particularly with casual partners, and despite a reduction in sexual violence it still occurs too frequently., Conclusion: Sexual health among young people is generally good, but there are still concerns. The findings of this study were discussed with professionals working in the field of young people and sexual health. Their recommendations on interventions, care and policy resulting from these discussions will be included in a national action plan.