title: Testicular cancer. Adolescent knowledge and attitudes.
abstract: To study what adolescents know or feel about testicular cancer (TC), 1,364 males, mean age 14.9 years, were given an 85-item pretest questionnaire. Although 28% had heard of TC, none knew how to perform a testicular self-examination (TSE). Analysis of the attitude questions showed that adolescents are afraid of getting TC, are unsure about whether it can be self-diagnosed, and do not know whether recovery is more likely with early diagnosis. Black adolescents were less knowledgeable about and more afraid of getting TC than white adolescents; males of lower socioeconomic status (SES) and males with more contact with cancer were also more afraid of getting TC than higher SES and low-cancer contact groups. Although 75% reported having a complete physical examination by a physician within the previous 15 months, less than 2% reported being taught TSE. Having had a recent physical examination made no difference in the knowledge of or attitudes toward TC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010173:Palpation; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology