Based on these findings, group-based comprehensive risk reduction was found to be an effective strategy to reduce adolescent pregnancy, HIV, and STIs. No conclusions could be drawn on the effectiveness of group-based abstinence education.

Purpose of review Preterm birth is a significant worldwide health problem of uncertain origins. The extant body of literature examining environmental contaminant exposures in relation to preterm birth is extensive but results remain ambiguous for most organic pollutants, metals and metalloids, and air pollutants. In the present review we examine recent epidemiologic studies investigating these associations, and identify recent advances and the state of the science. Additionally, we highlight biological mechanisms of action in the pathway between chemical exposures and preterm birth, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption, that deserve more attention in this context. Recent findings Important advances have been made in the study of the environment and preterm birth, particularly in regard to exposure assessment methods, exploration of effect modification by co-morbidities and exposures, and in identification of windows of vulnerability during gestation. There is strong evidence for an association between maternal exposure to some persistent pesticides, lead, and fine particulate matter, but data on other contaminants is sparse and only suggestive trends can be noted with the current data. Summary Beyond replicating current findings, further work must be done to improve understanding of mechanisms underlying the associations observed between environmental chemical exposures and preterm birth. By examining windows of vulnerability, disaggregating preterm birth by phenotypes, and measuring biomarkers of mechanistic pathways in these epidemiologic studies we can improve our ability to detect associations with exposure, provide additional evidence for causality in an observational setting, and identify opportunities for intervention.

Background Fertility counseling and treatment can help women achieve their desired family size, however, disparities exist in the utilization of this care. Methods This study examines the persistence of a racial disparity in visiting a doctor for help getting pregnant by estimating the direct effect of this association using data from the FUCHSIA Women’s Study, a population-based cohort study. This cohort included 1073 reproductive age women (22-45 years) with 28% reporting infertility. We fit log binomial models to quantify the magnitude of the racial difference in reported care seeking after adjustment for hypothesized mediators using inverse probability weighting. Results Compared with white women, black women were less likely to visit a doctor in the total population [adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41, 0.80] and in the subgroup of women with infertility [aRR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.99]. In addition, black women waited twice as long on average before seeking help compared with white women. Conclusions There were notable racial differences in visiting a doctor for help getting pregnant in this study although reports of infertility were similar by race. These differences may be mitigated through improved communication about the range of counseling and treatment options available.

This paper analyses the investment performance of Australian superannuation funds and their managers over the period from January 1973 to June 1981.The analysis indicated that both the funds and the managers performed poorly over the first two and a half years.It was found that the poor performance during these years outweighed the improved performance in sUbsequent years, resulting in an overall poor performance over the total period studied. Only one manager displayed a superior investment ability and this appears to be attributable to his ability to adjust the beta of his portfolio to suit market conditions.

Background Early-life factors can be associated with future health outcomes and are often measured by maternal recall. Methods We used data from the North Carolina Early Pregnancy Study and Follow-up to characterize long-term maternal recall. We used data from the Early Pregnancy Study as the gold standard to evaluate the accuracy of pre-pregnancy weight, early pregnancy behaviors, symptoms and duration of pregnancy, and child’s birthweight reported at follow-up, for 109 women whose study pregnancies had resulted in a live birth. Results Most (81%) participants reported a pre-pregnancy weight at follow-up that correctly classified them by BMI category. Women reported experiencing pregnancy symptoms later at follow-up than what they reported in the Early Pregnancy Study. Accuracy of reporting of early pregnancy behaviors varied based on exposure. Overall, women who had abstained from a behavior were more likely to be classified correctly. Sensitivity of reporting was 0.14 for antibiotics, 0.30 for wine, 0.71 for brewed coffee, and 0.82 for vitamins. Most misclassification at follow-up was due to false-negative reporting. Among women who gave birth to singletons 94% could report their child’s correct birthweight within ½ pound and 86% could report duration of pregnancy within 7 days at follow-up. Conclusions Self-report of pre-pregnancy weight, duration of pregnancy, and child’s birthweight after almost 30 years was good whereas self-reported pregnancy-related exposures resulted in higher levels of reporting error. Social desirability appeared to influence women’s report of their behaviors at follow-up. Self-reported assessment of confidence in the recalled information was unrelated to accuracy.