The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
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Comparative Study
High school students' attitudes about firearms policies.
To examine high school students' attitudes about firearm policies and to compare their attitudes with those of adults. ⋯ Most high school students in the United States favor stringent policies governing firearms. Adolescents' attitudes about firearm policies parallel those of adults.
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A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 13-18-year-old adolescents in Zhejiang Province, China. Morbidities showed few urban/rural differences. Concerns were mainly related to academic pressure. Respondents were eager users of health services; 73% were taking regular medication, but 52% had never attended a dentist.
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To examine adolescents' responses to a medical examination, which included the use of video colposcopy, conducted during an investigation of possible child sexual abuse. ⋯ Seventy-seven eligible girls participated; 51 returned for follow-up. The mean age of the subjects was 13.5 years (SD 1.4 years). Fifty-one percent of the sample was Caucasian, 29% African-American, 18% Hispanic, and 2% other. Seventy-nine percent of the girls chose to watch the examination on the video monitor. The girls' post-examination perceptions were significantly more positive than their pre-examination anticipations (p <.001), even though some aspects continued to be embarrassing, painful, or "scary". Anxiety, as measured by the STAI, significantly decreased from pre- to post-examination (p <.001). Pre-examination and post-examination anxiety were negatively associated with pre-examination anticipation and post-examination perceptions, respectively. Information-avoiding coping styles on the MBSS were associated with positive anticipations of the examination, but exhibited a trend toward negative associations with perceptions of video colposcopy. Scores assessing knowledge of the reproductive functions of their bodies at 3 months revealed no significant differences during the period from pre-examination assessment to three month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS; Teens generally reported that the medical examination, which included the use of video colposcopy, was beneficial. There was a significant reduction in anxiety from pre-examination to post-examination and the girls' feelings about the medical examination were significantly more positive afterwards.
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To examine health care spending patterns for U.S. adolescents aged 10 to 18 years using nationally representative household survey data. ⋯ On the basis of our findings that health care expenditures for adolescents are low and that insurance coverage provides critically needed financial protection, we conclude that further expansions of public and private health insurance coverage for this population would provide significant benefits at modest additional cost. Additional efforts to improve coverage of services that are not now well-covered, such as dental care, would also be valuable.