Parental attitudes toward physicians providing AIDS education to children.
This study was designed to determine whether parents would like their children to receive AIDS education from a family physician. Two hundred parents with children between the ages of five and 18 years completed a researcher-developed instrument assessing their opinions on AIDS education for their children. Seventy-six percent of the parents expressed a desire for their children to receive AIDS education from a physician. Topics requested by the parents included avoiding IV-drug abuse, safe sex, and sexual abstinence. The mean age at which the parents felt education should begin was 10.6 years (mode = 9.0 years). Based on the results of this study, physicians may wish to begin introducing AIDS education in routine patient visits with adolescents and pre-adolescents (ages 9-12), thus contributing to primary prevention.
Whalen
R M
RM
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk 23501.
Rutledge
C M
CM
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010821:Physicians, Family