: This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with problematic mealtime behaviors in Filipino children aged 3-11 years diagnosed with ASD and to validate the Filipino-translated Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI) for clinical use. The study examined demographics, socioeconomic status, and clinical characteristics of children with ASD in relation to feeding difficulties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 166 caregivers of Filipino children with ASD at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center. The BAMBI questionnaire, translated and validated into Filipino, was administered among patients evaluated under the Section of Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics. Content validity was established through neurodevelopmental pediatric experts, while face validity was achieved with feedback from 17 caregivers during the pilot test. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed to identify the factors. RESULTS: The Filipino-translated BAMBI demonstrated good content and face va- lidity based on reviews and pilot testing. The tool showed acceptable internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.75, indicating good reliability. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of participants scored above the threshold for problematic mealtime behaviors, with multivariate analysis revealing a significant association between these behaviors and sensory sensitivities (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.2 to 7.3, p = 0.0150). Additional factors, such as dietary habits and family structure, also showed trends toward significance but did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This study validates the Filipino BAMBI as a reliable tool for assessing mealtime behaviors in children with ASD, highlighting the high prevalence of feeding problems in this population. Sensory sensitivities emerged as a significant factor contributing to problematic mealtime behaviors, underscoring the importance of incorporating sensory processing strategies in interventions. Further research should explore other contributing factors, such as dietary habits and family dynamics, to develop more comprehensive, tailored interventions for children with ASD and their families.
Autism spectrum disorder ; mealtime behaviors ; feeding difficulties ; BAMBI ; parent questionnaire ; risk factors

INTRODUCTION: Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been available in Singapore since 2016, its uptake among gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM) is low. The iPARTY study was established to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of PrEP and a PrEP teleconsultation service for young GBMSM aged 18 to 29 years. METHOD: A total of 53 young GBMSM were enrolled in the iPARTY study. They had a total of 5 in-person consultations and teleconsultations, at 12-week intervals. Laboratory tests and quarterly baseline surveys were performed to assess PrEP adherence, sexual behaviour, and incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). RESULTS: Thirty-five participants completed the entire 12-month follow-up. Most participants had positive experiences with PrEP teleconsultations. There was a statistically significant fall in participants' aggregate Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores throughout the study. Self-reported PrEP adherence decreased over the course of the study, denoting improved mental health. Although self-reported condom use for anal intercourse and participants' risk perception of HIV decreased after PrEP adoption, there was no statisti-cally significant increase in STI incidence. CONCLUSION This pilot project has shown that PrEP services provide an opportunity for YMSM to access sexual health testing, treatment and counselling, and may even have tangible benefits on the mental health of this population. Teleconsultation is shown to be a suitable platform for the delivery of such services. Collaborative initiatives are crucial to further enhance the affordability and accessibility of PrEP in Singapore, and to improve patient adherence.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Anti-HIV Agents/administration & dosage* ; Feasibility Studies ; Health Risk Behaviors ; HIV Infections/psychology* ; Incidence ; Medication Adherence ; Mental Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Pilot Projects ; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis/statistics & numerical data* ; Sexual and Gender Minorities/statistics & numerical data* ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/prevention & control* ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Telemedicine/statistics & numerical data* ; Homosexuality, Male/statistics & numerical data*

Objective: This study aims to assess the presence of stigma in health facilities and health-seeking behaviors of persons living with HIV (PLHIV). Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional design employing self-report questionnaires answered online. A total of 100 PLHIV participants were recruited using the respondent-driven sampling method. Results: Results revealed that most participants are young adult men who have been diagnosed with HIV within the last five years. Overall, participants display moderate health-seeking behavior (M = 2.94, SD = 0.54), and moderate experience of health facility-related stigma (M = 2.21, SD = 0.87). Further, there is a negative correlation between age and health-seeking behavior (r = −0.2796, p = 0.049). The type of facility is significantly correlated with HIV stigma (r = 0.4050, p = 0.036). Conclusion A sustained linkage to care is essential for a PLHIV to remain engaged on his health and well-being. Necessary strategies should be implemented to improve the health-seeking behaviors of PLHIV. Public Rural Health Units are considered to be the most stigmatizing health facility. The presence of health facility-related stigma requires immediate action of the government to reinvigorate these catchment centers as providers of stigma-free and nondiscriminatory primary health care.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ; HIV ; Stigma ; Health facility ; Health-seeking behaviors ; Philippines

OBJECTIVE: To present an approach to phenotyping ACEs and explore the association between ACEs and adolescent health risky behaviors based on the social context of China. METHODS: Totally, 5,726 adolescents aged 12-18 years were investigated about their ACEs in the family, peer, school, and personal domains and the occurrence of six types of risky health behaviors (i.e., smoking, drinking, sexual intercourse, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and attempts). Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to explore the ACE patterns. RESULTS: Six latent classes of ACEs were identified, including low adversity, school adversity, school adversity and peer victimization, peer victimization, maltreatment and peer victimization, and high adversity, and associated with risky health behaviors in adolescents. Being physically punished by a teacher, experiencing sexual abuse, and experiencing family trauma most strongly differentiated from the six ACE classes and were correlated with an increased risk for risky adolescent health behaviors. CONCLUSION This study supports a positive association between ACEs and risky adolescent health behaviors. Peer victimization, school adversity and associated contexts need to be considered in future ACE studies.
Adverse Childhood Experiences ; Health Risk Behaviors ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Self-Injurious Behavior/epidemiology*

Background: Lai Chau is one of northwestern provinces of Vietnam, where there was a drug vice and high prevalence of drug users. It is necessary to evaluate the situation of HIV infection in this group. Objectives: A study on HIV prevalence and factors relating to the behaviors of HIV Infection among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in various districts of Lai Chau province. Subjects and method: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was carried out on 330 IDUs in Lai Chau town and 3 districts of Lai Chau province from January to December 2007. Results: 40.30% of the IDUs tested positive for HIV, nearly 2 times higher than the prevalence in 2006 (23.2%). 87.27% of the IDUs never re-used their syringes and needles. However, 12.4% still sometimes re-used their syringes and needles. Of 43 IDUs (12.73%) who re-used their syringes and needles, only 27.91% always cleaned their syringes and needles, 23.26% cleaned their syringes and needles most of the time after using them and up to 27.91% only sometimes cleaned their syringes and needles. Most IDUs use heroin (97.88%). Percentage of IDUs sharing syringes and needles accounts for 12.42%. 10% of the IDUs had sexual intercourses with commercial sex workers within the last month. There is a relationship between the time of using drugs and the HIV prevalence rate. There is a double risk of HIV infection for the IDUs injecting drugs for 5 years and upwards compared to those injecting drugs less than 5 years. (p <0.05, OR = 2). Conclusion: It is required to develop communications in order to change the behaviors of HIV infection among IDUs in Lai Chau province.
HIV prevalence ; behaviors ; HIV infection ; injecting drug users ; Lai Chau