Objective To understand the infection sources, care seeking behaviour and STD prevention in STD clinic patients. Methods Four hundred and seventy four patients of 3 STD clinics in Shanghai were investigated with questionaires and interviewed. Results 94.1% respondents contracted STDs via sexual contact. 70.3% married females attributed their infection source to their husbands, while more than 80% males and unmarried patients were infected through casual or commercial sex partners. High risk populations were observed among salesclerks, hotel attendants, private businessmen and unemployed, who were liable to contract STD through extramarital sexual contact and had a low rate of condom use. 74.5% of patients who visited the clinics after their symptoms had appeared. 82.7%, 62.2%, 57.1% and 30.0% of patients, whose sex partners were their spouses, lovers, commercial sex workers and casual partners, respectively, promised to encourage their partners for STD check up. Although the care seeking behaviour among females was slightly more active than that among males, postponed treatment seeking behaviour, low rate of simultaneous treatment of both male and female partners and low rate of condom use were observed among total patients. Majority of patients practised unprotected sexual intercourse, 4.2% used condom in commercial sexual activities, only 9.7% used condom even after having contracted the present STDs. Conclusion It is implied that counselling and health education must be strengthened in STD clinics, aiming at improving the awareness of STD prevention, insistently and correctly using condom, carefully choosing sex partners and reducing the number of sex partners, and encouraging the patients to adopt healthier life style.

Objective To describe the distribution of body mass index (BMI) and evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among first to sixth graders in 8 Chinese provinces.Methods Data came from the baseline survey of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded project Study on Intervention Models for Main Chronic Diseases among children in China.A stratified random cluster sampling strategy was used to select study participants in 8 provinces,including Inner Mongolia,Jiangsu,Anhui,Shandong,Hunan,Guangxi,Gansu provinces,and Chongqing,with diverse geographical and economic level distributions in China.Counties in each province were stratified into three strata according to economic level,and one county was selected systematically from each stratum.In each county,one urban and one rural elementary school were randomly selected ; and in each school,2-3 classes were randomly selected from each of 1-6 grades.All students in these selected classes were invited for participation.Physical examination was performed by trained local CDC staff using standardized instruments to measure height and weight.Overweight and obesity were diagnosed based on the BMI classification standards for Chinese children and adolescents by Working Group for Obesity in China (WGOC).Results A total of 26558(14225 boy,12333 girl) students aged 6-12 years eventually participated in 8 provinces.The average age was 9.3 ±1.8 years old.Mean BMI among boys (17.0 kg/m2) was higher than that among girls (16.4 kg/m2,t =19.60,P＜0.01).There were statistically significant differences in mean BMI of each age group of boys and 6-11 age groups of girls between urban and rural regions and among those with three economic levels (P＜0.05).The 85th and 95th percentiles of BMI among boys aged 7-11 years in urban region were higher than BMI reference in the standards from WGOC.Lower percentiles were observed among girls aged 7-12 years in rural region.The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 9.3％ and 6.5％ among schoolchildren aged 7-12 years.The prevalence of overweight among boys (10.9％) was higher than that among girls(7.6％,x2 =88.89,P＜0.01) ; while prevalence of obesity were 8.0％ among boys and4.7％ among girls,respectively (x2 =107.17,P＜0.01).The prevalence of overweight was 11.3％ in urban and 7.4％ in rural children(x2 =131.94,P＜0.01).The prevalence of obesity was 8.7％ in urban and 4.3％ in rural children(x2 =188.99,P＜0.01).The prevalences of overweight were 10.3％,8.6％ and 9.0％ in individuals with high,medium,and low economic levels,respectively(x2 =10.76,P＜0.01) ; while the prevalences of obesity were 8.2％,5.6％,and 5.4％,respectively (x2 =51.71,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chinese school children was high.The prevalence in urban region with high economic level was significantly higher than that in rural region with middle and low economic level.The nutritional and behavioral intervention programs are needed to control the rising trend of obesity in children.

BACKGROUNDUnhygienic blood collection in the early 1990s led to blood-borne infections in Central China. This study aimed to estimate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection with hepatitis C and B viruses (HCV and HBV) and their risk factors in a rural area of Shanxi Province with a history of commercial blood donation.

METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2004. All adult residents in the target area were invited to participate in the study. Face-to-face interviews were completed and blood specimens were tested for HIV, HCV, and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg).

RESULTSPrevalence rates of HIV, HCV, and HBsAg were 1.3% (40/3 062), 12.7% (389/3 062), and 3.5% (103/2982), respectively. Of the 40 HIV-positive specimens, 85% were HCV positive and 2.5% were HBsAg positive. The history of commercial blood donation was positively associated with HIV, HCV, and HIV/HCV co-infections, but was negatively associated with HBsAg seropositivity. Migration for employment in the last 5 years was positively related to HIV, HBsAg, and HIV/HCV co-infections. Univariate logistic analysis showed that illegal drug use, number of sex partners, extramarital sex behavior, commercial sex behavior, and condom use rate were not related to anti-HIV, anti-HCV, HBsAg seropositivity or their co-infections.

CONCLUSIONThe history of commercial blood donation was the main risk factor for HIV, HCV, and HIV/HCV co-infections in this former commercial blood donation area. HIV and HCV prevention and treatment interventions are important in this area.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Blood Donors ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; HIV Infections ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Hepatitis B ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Hepatitis C ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transfusion Reaction ; Young Adult