This study examined retention rates and associated predictors of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) duration among 128 newly admitted patients in Taiwan. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic and drug use history. Daily records of methadone taken and test results for HIV, HCV, and morphine toxicology were taken from a computerized medical registry. Cox regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with MMT duration. MMT retention rates were 80.5%, 68.8%, 53.9%, and 41.4% for 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively. Excluding 38 patients incarcerated during the study period, retention rates were 81.1%, 73.3%, 61.1%, and 48.9% for 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months, respectively. No participant seroconverted to HIV and 1 died during the 18-months follow-up. Results showed that being female, imprisonment, a longer distance from house to clinic, having a lower methadone dose after 30 days, being HCV positive, and in the New Taipei city program predicted early patient dropout. The findings suggest favorable MMT outcomes of HIV seroincidence and mortality. Results indicate that the need to minimize travel distance and to provide programs that meet women’s requirements justify expansion of MMT clinics in Taiwan.

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Aim: Regular walking exercise (RWE) is associated with increased cardiovascular fitness and might elevate subjective psychological well-being. Positive education links positive psychology concepts with self-efficacy through the curriculum, which helps foster well-being. This study examines if regular walking exercise with positive education has better effects on cardiovascular fitness and happiness than RWE alone in retired older adults.Methods: Three arms of experimental design were used: pedometer walking exercise training (PWET); positive education and pedometer walking exercise training (PEPWET); and pedometer walking exercise (PWE). Trained walking exercise was provided to the PWET and PEPWET groups by a walking exercise coach three times per week, for 45 min per session for 12 weeks. Positive education was designed and led by a licensed PhD psychologist every other week. Of 150 participants, 60, 60 and 30 were randomly assigned to PWET, PEPWET and PWE, respectively. Demographic information, Chinese Happiness Inventory, RWE, and 6-min walking distance were assessed before and after the intervention.Results: The percentage of participants who practiced RWE after 12 weeks was significantly higher in the PEPWET group (96.7%), followed by the PWET (75%) and PWE groups (40%). Cardiovascular fitness in the PWET and PEPWET groups was significantly better than in the PWE group. Chinese Happiness Inventory scores in the PWET and PEPWET groups were significantly higher than in the PWE group, and the PEPWET group also showed significantly higher Chinese Happiness Inventory scores than the PWET group.

Background: This study attempted to explore the women’s attitude towards child physical abuse in relation to the respondent’s background factors, personal issues and autonomy. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 18,749 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) using 2010 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey. Chi-square tests and bivariate analyses were performed. Results: A significant proportion of women supported beating physically abusing sons (69.2%) and daughters (67.2%). Rural, non-Buddhist, those with no or primary education, poverty, seasonal or occasional employment seem to be risk factor for supporting child physical abuse by women (in bivariate analysis). Age, education and household economic status of the women are significantly relevant for child physical abuse (in bivariate analysis). Women who came from male-headed households more often supported beating their children. Female autonomy is an important factor for child physical abuse. Women who justify physical abuse towards wives were also generally supportive of child physical abuse. Conclusions: The current study provides knowledge about maternal factors such as age, education, economic status, rural/urban dwelling, two or more lifetime partners and autonomy in the supporting of beating sons and daughters. Further attention needs to be paid to increasing women’s education and autonomy in Cambodian family life.

Background: For most HIV/AIDS patients who adhere to their medication regimens, Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) effectively controls viral load, reduces the incidence of AIDS diagnoses, and lowers HIVassociated mortality. Despite strong evidence that HAART effectively increases survival in people living with HIV/ AIDS, HIV-infected individuals not only need to endure the physiological changes that occur during therapy, but they may also face social and psychological problems. However, few research studies have paid attention to the quality of life of injection drug users (IDUs) living with HIV. This paper examines quality of life among IDUs living with HIV/ AIDS relative to IDUs without HIV/AIDS. Methods:A total of 71 HIV-infected IDUs from 4 methadone clinics in northern Taiwan completed a structured questionnaire that included demographics and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale brief version (WHOQOL-BREF). Another 71 HIV-negative IDUs were randomly sampled from 528 available methadone patients at the same 4 clinics as the control group. Scores from the WHOQOL-BREF were compared between HIV-positive and HIV-negative IDUs. Results:Results from multivariate multiple linear regression indicated that after controlling for all other demography and clinical factors, average scores in these four domains of WHOQOL-BREF were significantly higher among HIV-negative patients compared with those in HIV-positive patients. The greatest group difference appeared in the social relations domain, followed by the psychological domain and then the environmental domain, with the least difference found in the physical domain. Conclusion:The findings suggest that social relations and psychological issues are of great concerns for IDUs, especially HIV-positive patients. This indicates that understanding the impact of HIV infection on the quality of life particularly in the psychological and social relations realms is an important topic of future research.