Knowledge About and Attitudes Toward Genetic Screening Among High-School Students: The Tay-Sachs Experience

High-school students (ages 15 to 18 years; No. = 930) taking biology in their curriculum were surveyed (the first survey), in the classroom, for their knowledge and attitudes about Tay-Sachs disease and other "public" issues in genetics. High-school students now constitute 38.9% of those screened for the Tay-Sachs gene in the Montreal program and the participation rate is 75% among eligible Jewish students. Knowledge and attitudes about the screening experience were also surveyed (the second survey) in a sample (No. = 120) containing equal numbers of carriers and noncarriers matched for sex and age. The response rate was 75% in the second survey. The first survey revealed that the level of knowledge about Tay-Sachs disease is high among students, only 28% percent of whom were Jewish. Students have a very positive attitude toward genetic screening in general. These findings are associated with an effort to expand the human genetics content in the biology curriculum. The second survey revealed a favorable attitude toward the screening experience and the self-knowledge obtained among screened students. The screening clinic in the schools, and literature provided by the screening authority, was an effective source of knowledge about the significance of Tay-Sachs heterozygosity. Carriers experienced initial anxiety; later attitudes were similar in carrier and noncarriers. Self-image was unchanged in 90% and diminished in 10% of carriers and enhanced in 10% of noncarriers. Heterozygous students perceive information about their genetic status as useful to themselves and 95% want to know the genotype of an intended spouse; 88.4% would marry a carrier and only 11.6% would "reconsider." These findings encourage us to emphasise high-school screening as the preferred program in our community and to offer it as an effective aid to the physician faced with increasing demands in medical genetics. It is also an effective model for teaching some genetics and human biology in the schools.

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A genetic screening programme for Tay-Sachs disease and cystic fibrosis for Australian Jewish high school students

Journal of Medical Genetics ◽

10.1136/jmg.40.4.e45 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 45e-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

K Barlow-Stewart

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Cystic Fibrosis ◽

High School Students ◽

Genetic Screening ◽

Screening Programme ◽

School Students ◽

Tay Sachs Disease

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Perceptions and Knowledge About the MenB Vaccine Among Parents of High School Students

Journal of Community Health ◽

10.1007/s10900-020-00954-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Eric Richardson ◽

Kathleen A. Ryan ◽

Robert M. Lawrence ◽

Christopher A. Harle ◽

Alyson Young ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Vaccine Coverage ◽

Health Belief ◽

Participation Rate ◽

Parent Report ◽

Medical Decision ◽

School Students ◽

Vaccination Rates

AbstractSerogroup B meningococcal disease (MenB) causes almost 60% of meningitis cases among adolescents and young adults. Yet, MenB vaccine coverage among adolescents remains below 10%. Since parents are the primary medical decision makers for adolescents, we examined MenB vaccination rates and parent attitudes about meningitis and the MenB vaccine. In 2018, in conjunction with a county-wide, school-based immunization campaign, we conducted a mixed methods study among parents of 16- to 17-year-olds. We facilitated focus groups asking parents about their knowledge of meningitis and reactions to educational materials and sent behavioral surveys based on Health Belief Model constructs to parents through the county high school system. Parents in three focus groups (n = 8; participation rate = 13%) expressed confusion about their child’s need to receive the MenB vaccine in addition to the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY), but conveyed strong trust in their physicians’ recommendation. Among survey participants (n = 170), 70 (41%) had heard of the MenB vaccine. Among those 70 parents, the most common barriers to vaccination were concerns about side effects (55%) and uncertainty of susceptibility due to receipt of the MenACWY vaccine (30%). The percentage of teens that received at least one dose of the MenB vaccine was 50% (n = 35) by parent report and 23% (n = 16) by state vaccination records. Parents demonstrated uncertainty and confusion about the MenB vaccine particularly due to the existence of another meningitis vaccine and limited health care provider recommendations. Confirmatory studies of parent confusion about the MenB vaccine are needed to develop interventions.

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A profile of sexually active male adolescent high school students in Lima, Peru

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/s0102-311x2000000300022 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 733-746 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Jesús L. Chirinos ◽

Victor C. Salazar ◽

Claire D. Brindis

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Sexual Activity ◽

Sex Education ◽

Sexual Experience ◽

Family Characteristics ◽

Male Adolescent ◽

School Students ◽

Male Adolescents ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes

To document knowledge and attitudes regarding sexuality and sexual practices of male adolescent high school students in Lima, Peru, a self-administered, anonymous survey was completed by 991 male adolescents aged 12-19 as part of a School-Based Sex Education Intervention model. Questions concerned sociodemographic information; family characteristics; personal activities; knowledge and attitudes regarding sexuality; sexual experience; and contraceptive use. Knowledge related to sexuality was limited. Males tended to mainly discuss sexuality with their male peers (49.8%). Attitudes towards sexual activity and condom use were largely positive, although some males expressed ambivalent feelings towards the latter. Of the sample, 43% had ever had sex; age at first sexual intercourse was 13 years. While 88% of the sample would use condoms, 74% also gave reasons for not using them. Sexual activity was related to age, ever having repeated a grade, living with only one parent or in a mixed family, activities such as going to parties, use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, and viewing pornographic videos or magazines. Many male adolescents were at risk of causing an unintended pregnancy or acquiring an STD.

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A Peer-Based Educational Intervention Effects on SARS-CoV-2 Knowledge and Attitudes among Polish High-School Students

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182212183 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (22) ◽

pp. 12183

Author(s):

Maria Ganczak ◽

Oskar Pasek ◽

Łukasz Duda-Duma ◽

Julia Komorzycka ◽

Karol Nowak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Control Measures ◽

School Students ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Serious Disease

To support high school students to develop knowledge they need to adhere to control measures during the pandemic, a peer-based educational intervention on SARS-CoV-2 was developed and its impact was evaluated. Multistage random sampling was used. The 50 min peer-based intervention was conducted by final year medical students. Baseline and post-intervention knowledge and attitudes were assessed. Significance was tested by McNemar’s/Wilcoxon rank tests. Of 518 participants (mean age 17.8 years ± 0.43), 81.0% did not receive any school-based education on SARS-CoV-2. After intervention, the knowledge score improved from 65.2% to 81.6%, attitudes from 63.2% to 70.8% (both p < 0.0001). The effect size after the intervention compared to pre-intervention showed moderate improvement of knowledge, but not attitudes (d = 0.46 and d = 0.18, respectively). Pre- and post-intervention, females, students in non-science programs, living in cities < 250,000 inhabitants had lower knowledge, while fewer males, non-science program students, living in smaller cities presented positive attitudes. Before intervention, 67.0% students correctly named SARS-CoV-2 preventive methods and 73.6% were concerned COVID-19 is a serious disease; these improved after intervention (to 80.1% and 86.3%; p < 0.0001). The intervention was not very successful in increasing the intent to vaccinate for COVID-19 (pre-intervention 52.9%, post-intervention 56.4%; p < 0.007). Peer-based teaching for high school students can be effective in increasing SARS-CoV-2 knowledge and awareness. More efforts are needed to improve attitudes and enhance acceptance of vaccination against COVID-19.

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