May P988

ATTITUDES DF YDUNG ADDLESCENT FEMALES RSGARDING PUBERTAL CHANGES. Holly Shau. RI, .Josspb Feldman, Ph.D. Hichael Nussbaum. HD. acd I. Ronald Shenker. MD. Schneider Chrldren’s lkwpital of Long Inland lewish Medical Center and SUNK at Stony Brook. New HYdn park. NT.

The purpose of this study “as to 1) assese the attitudes and levels of co”ce=n of normal pubertal and pre-pube=tal females regardinS affective responses to specific .dentifisble physiolacic pubertal ckangeu snd 21 to determine the effectivvness of intervention deskSned to enbwce positive views towards these normal and p diccsbi‘ aspects of growth and develooment.

Data was combined from 250 IO-11 yc~= old females wmppriaihg all fifth graders iron a sLbu=ben NC” York Community. AdditionolLy, correeponding information ~86 obtained from 186 mothers regarding thelr perceptions of their dnugbtera’ attitudes end concerns.

RCaUltB: A ,“ajority af children W28.3LiV.Z1y viewed these normal marks of puberty IncludinS. the onset of menstruation (68X). breast davclopment (53%). growth of pubic (78%) and underarm (85%) hair. The only tlopecta of puberty of those queried which wee re8srded positively wara @ettln$ taller (65%) and Setting older (80%). Especially high levels of concern wre reported for the events associetcd with the onset of puberty as well us the ma”aSement of rhone events (e.g. deodorants, sanitary napkins and tampons). Aleo reported were very hiah lw,els of concern =e8P=di”8 tnlkin8 about these issues with parents (eapeclelly fathera). doctors dnd awan peers. %,llifiC-

ant differences (p&01) were demonetrstad berween daughters nttitudas and mothers’ parception of their dau8htern attitudea IndicatinS that mothera percaptions of the Sir1s feelinSs “e=e IDI moee positive than the daughtera’ actual feClin88.

“e were able to damonstrate the effectiveness of B psychoeducational prnS=an to =,?r.uce &3XiVit, and fear. enhance positive views 01 pubertal chawee and pnnnota increased Comfarr =efpd=dLS interpersonal Ca~~nica- tlon about ebeac illsues. partic”larlY with peers.

AIDS Sducation AmonS ColleSe ASe Students. Victor I. L”SO-!4i=,,.“.D.. David E. S”tLle.?l.D., and Lynda Linker. R.N. Department of Cadet Health. ““iced State6 E:ilitar,’ Acndem:, , West Point. Neti York.

AIDS ie one of the moot contr~vereisl topics of discueeion thoee days. Since there in no c”=e. preventiou 1s rhe key for the control of thin disease. One of the mnst important factors in prevention ia an adequate knowledSe of this condition and the ways of tran8mieeion. This paper deals with the beliefs end the attitude8 of college a8e ocudents towsrds AIDS and the impacc of AIDS education in attitude chonSoa ‘,nd preventlan IcnowledSe. A qveo:foenlre ~8 givsn to 1.300 callegc freshman with nationwide representation before B lecture on AIDS. A one

hour lecture CO”eri”8 disease signs end symptoms. transmission and prevention WBB presented to them. b second queetionsire “08 distributed after the lecture to compare the pre and post proSrams attitudes and knuw!edSe. Analysis of those differences are presented end the impli~ntlonn for the development of AIDS education programs among adoleacencs are dincussrd.

Testic;lnr Self Esnmlnntion Educ,etian AmonS Adolea- celits. Victor 1. I.“@,-“ire. N.D.. David E. Suctle. M.D.. and Lynde Linker. R.N. Deportment of Cadet Health. United States Military Academy. West Po.nt. New York.

Testicular cnncer ie the moot common cancer agee 15 to 31. When diaSnoeed early, the rate of cure is PXC.I~CDC. TCBLiC”lOT Self-Examlnotion (WE) is the best method of detectinS early ccsticular ma88e8 that can be molignilnr. ‘To determine the effect of TSE cducatton on mattvotion and behavior chon,,es. d quosiionolv* was given to 2:OOO colleSe age male8 that attended (I TSE educcation proSram. There was a slSnificonc increnec in regular TS; ilr:ong them after SoinS through tbc program. na a co”seqUe”c.2. 3 CBBCB of testicular cancer‘ weie diagnosed and treated early with succeaful results. Effects on the behavior end attitudes towards TSE *.n these srhjects or0 also dimcussed. WE education should bo port of our preventive medicine Efforts especially d”=i”& adoleecencc.

BODY SHAPE CONCERN AMONG ADOLESCENT PEW\LES. “ally Shau, RN, MS. Peter J. Cooper. Ph.D. Melanie J. Taylor. and I. Ronald Shenker. MD. Schneider Children’s HoWtel of L0”S Ialsnd Jewish Medical Center and SUNY at Stony Brook. NC” Hyde Park. NY and University of Cambridge. Enpland.

Surveys of adolescent fcaalea conducted in a number of veste=” covntriee hsve revealed that concerns about body shape end WeiSht are extramely ccdmw~. Such concerns might be expected to be especially marked at the nodal aye of ‘meet of e&i”8 disorders (ie. about 16 yearn). The find- i?ds of studies euSScnrs that these conc~=ns a?P~e at am even earlier age. MethodoloSieol d?fferences and rhr; absence of 0 .y.t~~ntic q e~surc of body shape concerns hove made interpretation and comp~,risons difficult.

ZIG purpose of this study was to identify CO~LC=~ with body ahope and “eight control st=ateSies amonS American adolescent famanalea t,eing a “~“ly devs‘opod and validated self-report insrrneot. the Sody Shape Qwntionnnire (SSQ! (Cooper and Taylor. 1906). Thio instrvmenr .a8 administered to WC= 300 females between ages 11-18 yea=e. Among four age cotugories. the 15 to 16 year old0 bhwcd significantly Sreater concerns than the yDu”Se= Sir10 with the rate of marked concerno in this Srovp twice 88 hiSh 88 in the other We CnteSories. zzizition LO n e‘mple sge effect, BSQ sco=eu iiePR PlSO influ- cnced by the onset of mon~=ch~. Among 11-14 year ofds, poet-menorchnl Slrle had si6nlflcnntly higher mco=e8 than pre-nennrchnl onen. Ka=kad CO”CO=“B With shape were closely nseor.icted with a high level of diasatbsfactlon Wltb uoiSht and hcnlth-threntc”inS vciShL control #tZDtD@‘W euch 8~ vomiti% nnd Inxorives.

Thcsc findi”&, ouSSest that the concorns about body shape which Bra characteristic of potlents with eating dioordore, whiie Particul~=lY prcvo!ent smonS 15-16 year olds, ario@ at wssrche and often lead CO dyn- functionnl dsngnraus weight control practices. These firrdInf@ hwa iaPllCn- tione for education srrntogier directed towards you”!3 normal pubertal adolescente.