Adolescent Health Knowledge of Family Physicians

Abstract

Background: There are certain life periods when physicians are more cautious with their patients. However, health needs are often disregarded throughout the adolescent era, even though it is a time when fast changes occur in many facets of life, including physical, psychological, cognitive, and social development. This study aimed to contribute to the improvement of adolescent health by measuring the degree of knowledge of family physicians (FPs) on adolescent health services. Material-Method: The was a descriptive-cross-sectional design study. A questionnaire was given to 2200 FPs by e-mail and 344 accepted to participate. The questionnaire had a 13% response rate. Results: Women made up 56.4% of the participants (n=194) and the average age of the participants was 38.77 years (SD: 10.08) (min: 25, max: 80). Two hundred fifteen (62.5%) of the FPs who participated in the survey, had encountered adolescent patients. A statistical correlation was found between having children and the idea that questions should be asked with one-word answers to the target to obtain answers in the adolescent age group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Training of all FPs about adolescent health can make a positive contribution to the quality of the healthcare services offered, especially because it has been found that post-graduate education has positive effects on knowledge and attitudes.

Keywords

• family medicine
• adolescent health
• primarycare

References

1. 1.WHO. Adolescent health. WHO Report-Geneva 2000 (2000).
2. 2.Akçan Parlaz E, Tekgül N, Karademirci E, et al. Ergenlik Dönemi: Fiziksel Büyüme, Psikolojik ve Sosyal Gelişim Süreci. Turkish Fam. Physician. 2012; 3: 10–6.
3. 3.Karakök B. Ankara ve İstanbul’daki HIV/AIDS Merkezlerinde Takipli HIV (+) Olan Çocuk ve Ergenlerin Ruh Sağlığı ve Bilişsel Fonksiyonları Açısından İncelenmesi ve Orta-Ağır Şiddetli Astımlı Çocuklarla Karşılaştırılması. http://www.openaccess.hacettepe.edu.tr:8080/xmlui/handle/11655/4451
4. 4.Odgers CL, Jensen MR. Annual Research Review: Adolescent mental health in the digital age: facts, fears, and future directions. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry Allied Discip. 2020; 61: 336–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13190
5. 5.Richard J, Backes E. The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth. The National Academies Press This, Washington, DC (2019)
6. 6.House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee: Health and Social Care Committee Children and Young People’s Mental Health. (2021)
7. 7.Erik H, Tunç B, Aslan D. Evaluation of the causes of adolescent mortality between the years 2009 and 2016 in Turkey. Türkiye Halk Sağlığı Derg. 2019; 17: 28–37. https://doi.org/10.20518/tjph.391511
8. 8.Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu Haber Bülteni: Ölüm İstatistikleri, 2018

9. 9.Soylu N, Taneli Y, Taneli S. Depresyonu Olan Ergenlerde İntihar Davranışını Etkileyen Sosyal, Emosyonel ve Kognitif Faktörlerin Araştırılması. Nöro Psikiyatr Arşivi. 2013; 50: 352–9. https://doi.org/10.4274/npa.y6531
10. 10.WHO (World Health Organization): Adolescent mental health., https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
11. 11.Keles B, McCrae N, Grealish A. A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. Int. J. Adolesc. Youth. 2020; 25, 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851
12. 12.Hoare E, Milton K, Foster C, et al. The associations between sedentary behaviour and mental health among adolescents: a systematic review. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2016; 13: 108. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0432-4
13. 13.Best P, Manktelow R, Taylor B. Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 2014; 41: 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.001
14. 14.Marino C, Gini G, Vieno A, et al. A comprehensive meta-analysis on Problematic Facebook Use. Comput. Human Behav. 2018; 83:262–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.009
15. 15.McCrae N, Gettings S, Purssell E. Social Media and Depressive Symptoms in Childhood and Adolescence: A Systematic Review. Adolesc. Res. Rev.2017; 2: 315–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-017-0053-4
16. 16.Forrest CB. Primary care in the United States: Primary care gatekeeping and referrals: Effective filter or failed experiment? Br Med J. 2003; 326, 692–5. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7391.692
17. 17.Jefferson L, Bloor K, Birks Y, et al. Effect of physicians’ gender on communication and consultation length: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Heal Serv Res Policy. 2013; 18: 242–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1355819613486465
18. 18.Hiller J, Schatz K, Drexler H. Gender influence on health and risk behavior in primary prevention: a systematic review. J Public Heal. 2017; 25: 339–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-017-0798-z
19. 19.Kusev P, Purser H, Heilman R, et al. Understanding risky behavior: The influence of cognitive, emotional and hormonal factors on decision-making under risk. Front Psychol. 2017; 8: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00102
20. 20.Gökdemir Ö, Yaprak S, Okudan YE, et al. Comparison of children with and without chronic disease in psychosocial terms. 2021; 12: 171–8. https://doi.org/10.15511/tjtfp.21.00471
21. 21.Beine A. Lifestyle medicine interventions help pediatricians manage adolescent depression. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/news/lifestyle-medicine-interventions-help-pediatricians-manage-adolescent-depression
22. 22.Gökdemir Ö. Aile Hekimliği ve Yaşam Biçimi Tıbbı. In: Yılmazer, T.T. (ed.) Aile Sağlığı Merkezi Yönetimine Güncel Yaklaşım-2. pp. 161–165. Akademisyen Yayınevi (2021)
23. 23.Uslu O. Causes and consequences of technology addiction: A review of information systems and information technology studies. Int J Soc Sci Educ Res. 2022; 8: 299–306. https://doi.org/10.24289/ijsser.1131136
24. 24.Moniz T, Golafshani M, Gaspar CM, et al. How Are the Arts and Humanities Used in Medical Education? Results of a Scoping Review. Acad. Med. 2021; 96: 1213–22. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000004118
25. 25.Prentice S, Benson J, Dorstyn D, et al. Wellbeing Conceptualizations in Family Medicine Trainees: A Hermeneutic Review. Teach. Learn. Med. 2022; 34: 60–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2021.1919519
26. 26.Lin S. A Clinician’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence (AI): Why and How Primary Care Should Lead the Health Care AI Revolution. J. Am. Board Fam. Med. 2022; 35: 175. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2022.01.210226
27. 27.Gökdemir Ö, Pak H, Aygün O, et al. The Use of Contraceptive Method Patterns: Evaluation at Family Health Centers. İstanbul Tıp Fakültesi Derg. 2021. https://doi.org/10.26650/iuitfd.2021.908828
28. 28.Erdem G, Adli-Isleyen M, Baltalarlı N, et al. Low-Income Turkish Mothers’ Conceptions and Experiences of Family Life. Front Psychol. 2022; 12: 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.756278
29. 29.Koray MH, Adomah-Afari A, Punguyire D, et al. Knowledge of sexually transmitted infections among senior high school adolescents in the Wa Municipality of Ghana. Glob Heal J. 2022; 6: 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glohj.2022.04.002
30. 30.Singh GK, Kogan MD, Siahpush M, et al. Independent and joint effects of socioeconomic, behavioral, and neighborhood characteristics on physical inactivity and activity levels among US children and adolescents. J. Community Health. 2008; 33: 206–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-008-9094-8
31. 31.Stanford FC, Durkin MW, Stallworth JR, et al. Factors that influence physicians’ and medical students’ confidence in counseling patients about physical activity. J Prim Prev. 2014; 35: 193–201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-014-0345-4
32. 32.O’Connor CA, Shubkin CD. Adolescent STIs for primary care providers. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2012; 24: 647–55. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0b013e328357bf86
33. 33.Özkul SA, Kaya ÇA, Ünalan PC, et al. İstanbul’ da Aile Sağlığı Merkezlerinde Koruyucu Adolesan Sağlığı Yaklaşımında Kaçırılmış Fırsatlar Missed Opportunities in Preventive Adolescent Heath Approach , in Family Health Centers in Istanbul. Turkish Fam Physician. 2015; 6: 18–29.
34. 34.Jones LD, Grout RW, Gilbert AL, et al. How can healthcare professionals provide guidance and support to parents of adolescents? Results from a primary care-based study. BMC Health Serv. Res. 2021; 21: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06200-1
35. 35.Jingjie W, Yang L, Jing Y, et al. Sedentary time and its association with risk of cardiovascular diseases in adults: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMC Public Health. 2022; 22: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12728-6
36. 36.Kershnar R, Hooper C, Gold M, et al. Adolescent medicine: attitudes, training, and experience of pediatric, family medicine, and obstetric-gynecology residents. Yale J. Biol. Med. 2009; 82: 129–41.