ABSTRACT
A vast number of successful recommendations are available to physicians who want to learn how to strengthen their interactions with adolescent patients. Understanding that the physician-patient relationship is dynamic is the first step toward building a strong repertoire within this patient sample. Therefore, physicians may assume that adolescent perceptions of the physician-patient relationship and the services provided will change as they change developmentally or as the situation is modified. Finding a balance between family and patient concerns while gaining increased experience with skills less-practiced (eg, communication about sensitive topics) will improve adolescent perceptions of your expertise, knowledge, and abilities. Finally, following up on changes across time in adolescents' concerns, perceptions, abilities, and the physician-patient relationship itself, will help to ensure continued satisfaction and service use by adolescents and their families.
Subject(s)
Counseling , Interviews as Topic , Physician-Patient Relations , Adolescent , Adolescent Health Services , Attitude to Health , Humans , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology , Racial Groups , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
Childhood obesity is one of the formidable challenges that healthcare providers face. Early recognition and implementation of preventive strategies is crucial in combating this problem. Inculcation of a healthy lifestyle in our youth by encouraging physical activity, decreasing sedentary pastimes, and making healthy food choices is critical right from the start, before poor habits become ingrained. More research is needed to find more effective ways to treat obesity in childhood and adolescence.
Subject(s)
Obesity/therapy , Adolescent , Appetite Depressants/therapeutic use , Bariatric Surgery , Body Mass Index , Diet , Exercise , Humans , Obesity/complications , Obesity/epidemiology , Obesity/physiopathology , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To examine the initial psychometric properties for the PARS, a brief interview used to screen for 16 items of adolescent risk and protective factors. METHODS: Participants included 193 adolescents, attending public middle and high schools or a university-based Adolescent Clinic. Participants completed a PARS interview, as well as a battery of questionnaires. Approximately 31% of participants received a second PARS interview from an independent rater to assess inter-rater consistency. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics revealed that participants, on average, were rated as low to moderate risk for health-related difficulties across all PARS items. Descriptive statistics also showed important risk patterns in this sample of adolescents (e.g., 1/5 of sample not exercising at all). Factor analysis yielded a total of five factors (Risk Factors, Protection Factors, Relationships/Mood, Motivation Issues, Weight Issues), accounting for 58% of the variance in PARS item scores. Satisfactory levels of internal consistency and inter-rater agreement for the PARS score were found. Convergent and divergent validity of PARS scores were supported by correlations obtained with similar and dissimilar measures, respectively. A significant age group difference was obtained in the total PARS score, with adolescents aged 17-19 years obtaining higher scores than did adolescents aged 14-16 years. No significant gender differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the initial psychometric properties (i.e., reliability, validity) of the PARS as a measure of health risk and protective factors in adolescents. The PARS is a brief, efficient means of obtaining important health risk information from adolescents throughout periodic routine health care visits.
