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Closely Supervised Foster Care Linked With Reduced Pregnancy Rates For Delinquent Teens, Study Says
Teenage girls with a history of delinquency who were placed in individualized foster care programs were less likely than their peers to become pregnant, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, HealthDay/Forbes reports. Teen girls in foster care have an elevated risk for pregnancy, according to HealthDay/Forbes. For example, an earlier survey of teens in three states found that nearly half of girls in the foster care system reported a pregnancy by age 19, according to David Kerr, an assistant professor of psychology at Oregon State University and lead author of the new study.For the study, researchers followed 166 girls ages 13 to 17 with court orders to receive treatment for criminal behavior in either specialized foster care or a group-care facility. The specialized programs, known as Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care, were created in the 1980s. Under the programs, foster parents who are trained in behavioral management provide one-on-one care to severely delinquent youths, and the parents receive consultation, support and crisis intervention services from program supervisors. One of the most important aspects of the program is that, unlike group care, the teens are isolated from other troubled youths. There are 51 such programs in the U.S.After two years, 26% of the girls in MTFC became pregnant, compared with almost 47% of those in group care, according to the study. The MTFC group also showed lower levels of criminal activity and arrests, and increased school engagement. Kerr said, "One of the most interesting aspects of this research is that the MTFC program was created to reduce crime, not pregnancy." He added, "It specifically targeted changing the girl"s environment: her home, her peers and her school experience. The focus was on giving her lots of supervision, support for responsible behavior, and consistent, non-harsh consequences for negative behavior" (HealthDay/Forbes, 6/17).
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Half Million People Still Not Receiving Retinal Screening, England
Diabetes UK is concerned that more than half a million people with diabetes in England are still not been screened for retinopathy.
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CMS Proposes Payment, Policy Changes For Physicians Services To Medicare Beneficiaries In 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today proposed changes to policies and payment rates for services to be furnished during calendar year (CY 2010) by over 1 million physicians and nonphysician practitioners who are paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The MPFS sets payment rates for more than 7,000 types of services in physician offices, hospitals, and other settings.
Sexual Health

Couples To Rely On Male Contraceptive For New Trial, UK

Couples are being asked to replace their usual form of birth control with a new male contraceptive in a study to test its effectiveness. Researchers at The University of Manchester, working in collaboration with nine other centres across the world, will ask men in stable relationships to take part in the trial of the hormonal contraceptive. The research, which follows a similar trial in China published earlier this month involving testosterone injections, will involve male volunteers aged 18 to 45 being given injections of testosterone along with a second hormone that has been shown to reversibly suppress sperm production. The combination of two hormones means the trial will require half the frequency of injections as the Chinese study. The two hormones - Norethisterone enantate and Testosterone undecanoate - have already undergone trials to test their safety and were shown to have only mild side-effects in a small number of individuals. The trial will initially involve up to four courses of injections over six months, during which time the men"s sperm count will be measured to ensure it is below fertility levels. The couples - 60 in Manchester and a further 340 internationally - will then be asked to rely solely on the hormonal method for 12 months while the male partner continues to receive the injections every eight weeks. At the end of the trial period, the men"s sperm count will continue to be monitored to assess how quickly fertility levels return to normal. Lead researcher Frederick Wu, Professor of Medicine and Endocrinology, said: "There is currently a great imbalance of contraceptive methods between men and women with almost 20 different female methods compared to only condoms and vasectomy for men. "The World Health Organisation wants to provide more male contraceptive choices - especially reversible methods - to allow couples to better plan their families. "We know from previous studies that any side-effects are minor, while the risk of pregnancy with this hormonal treatment is similar to that of the female pill and far less than the risks posed by using barrier methods alone. "Couples taking part in the trial are likely to be married or in long-term relationships and may be looking for alternatives to their existing methods of contraception."" The University of Manchester


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