The physician's role in adolescent health education

This study was designed to identify topics of interest to the adolescent that can be addressed by the physician in the clinic or the classroom and to assess the extent to which such discussions currently take place. A confidential questionnaire was administered to 223 11th-graders and 186 7th-graders in the Duluth public schools between December 1987 and December 1988. Seven broad areas of adolescent life were addressed. Topics that more than 50% of the teens would most like to discuss with physicians include lifestyle, sexuality, family life, and psychological concerns. Reportedly, physicians often discuss lifestyle and sexuality topics with 7th-grade students; substantially fewer 11th-graders report these conversations. Students stated that they prefer to discuss all these issues (except individual body change) with a physician in the classroom setting. The results of the study encourage physicians to talk with teens about lifestyle, sexuality, family life, and psychological concerns, preferably in the classroom, even into late adolescence.