DO ADOLESCENTS WANT TO HEAR PREVENTIVE COUNSELING MESSAGES IN OUTPATIENT SETTINGS

BACKGROUND, In response to the high prevalence of health-risk behavior s among adolescents, policy agencies have urged primary care clinician s to discuss these behaviors with all adolescents, Yet such discussion s frequently do not take place. A commonly mentioned barrier is the cl inician perception that patients are not interested in, or are embarra ssed by, such discussions. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of this perception by conducting a survey of adolescents, ME THODS. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 305 adoles cents, ages 11 to 16 years, waiting to be seen in three community heal th centers and three private practices, The questionnaire queried adol escents' willingness to talk about eight preventive counseling topics with health care practitioners, and information was collected on varia bles that might influence willingness, Descriptive frequencies were ge nerated. Chi-square analysis and stratification assessed differences b etween groups. RESULTS, A majority of adolescents felt that it is a cl inician's job to discuss health risk behaviors, On the current visit, however, fewer than 20% wanted to talk about drugs, alcohol, cigarette s, or depression; fewer than 40% about sex; and fewer than 55% about d iet or exercise, Adolescents reporting previous conversations on a top ic were more likely to want to talk about that issue at the current vi sit. Willingness to talk did not vary by visit type (well care vs acut e care), CONCLUSIONS. This study confirms that adolescents are hesitan t to discuss health risk behaviors with clinicians, but the findings a lso suggest that receptivity increases if clinicians address these top ics on repeat occasions.