Adolescents are individuals who are gradually approaching adulthood and begin to experience some changes in their lives owing to their exposure to environmental influences. These individuals also indulge in behaviors that may be harmful to them and will require the guidance of health providers to stay healthy. However, many adolescents have reported unmet health care needs or guidance from health care providers. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of provider anticipatory guidance reported by adolescents in rural Appalachia. The study participants were aged 16 to 19 years and a total of 762 participants in rural Appalachia were recruited from the 2016 Adolescent Community Health Survey. Participants were asked to indicate whether a provider asked them about a series of health behaviors in a 12-month period. Health behaviors included healthy eating/diet, physical activity, school performance/grades, friends, emotions, feeling sad, suicide, chewing tobacco, drug use, use of steroids, risks of drinking, smoking, and the importance of wearing seatbelts whilst driving. Descriptive statistics were conducted using SAS 9.4. Of the 762 study participants, 53.4% were females. Less than 30% of the study participants reported a doctor had talked to them about their weight/ healthy eating in the last 12 months. In the last 12 months,18.3% reported a doctor had talked to them about suicide, 26.4% reported a doctor had talked to them about their moods and emotions. Less than 25% reported a doctor had talked to them about drug use and 22.31% reported a doctor had talked to them about wearing a seat belt while driving in the last 12 months. Adolescents are in need of anticipatory guidance from health care providers. Our studies reveal more than 70% of adolescents report not receiving anticipatory guidance in several areas including drug use, chewing tobacco, use of steroid pills or shots without a doctor’s prescription, weight, school performance, healthy eating/diet, suicide, their emotions and the importance of wearing a seatbelt whilst driving. The prevalence of anticipatory guidance as reported by these adolescents in Appalachia is low. Therefore, there is a need to create awareness amongst healthcare providers such as physicians, nurses, psychologists, etc. to ensure that whilst they treat medical illnesses, they also talk to young adolescents about risky behaviors. This awareness will go a long way in mitigating adolescent risky behaviors. This study also has implications that drive policy decision-making.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-1751 |
| Date | 18 March 2021 |
| Creators | Okoro, Joy, Johnson, Kiana R. |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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