A COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA ANTICIPATORY GUIDANCE WITH ADOLESCENTS

The purpose of this study was to compare adolescents' knowledge of alc ohol after receiving either a computer-assisted instruction program or physician-delivered anticipatory guidance or no intervention. In addi tion, adolescents' satisfaction was compared between intervention grou ps. A total of 89 adolescents attending a general medical clinic were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. The participants were fr om low-to-middle income families, and the mean age was 15.5 years. A t wo-way analysis of variance found significant main effects for both gr oup and sex. Those adolescents in both intervention groups were signif icantly more knowledgeable, and males demonstrated the highest knowled ge scores. There was a significant interaction between group and sex, with females more satisfied with the computer-assisted instruction as compared to males who preferred anticipatory guidance. These data sugg est that the use of computer technology during a well-adolescent healt h visit is effective and efficient in transmitting drug-related inform ation.