title: Treatment with growth hormone. What do children know and how do they accept it?
abstract: Treatment with growth hormone in children is a very effective promotor of growth. The psychosocial environment of children may influence the results of this treatment. It has been shown that there is a clear relationship between the knowledge and understanding a child has of the treatment and the degree of compliance and acceptance. We have studied 90 children treated with growth hormone who filled in a questionnaire in order to know the knowledge and acceptance of their treatment. The scores for acceptance were significantly higher than for knowledge (p < 0.00001), without correlations between the two variables. The higher marks were achieved by children who had attended an educational camp. A serious lack of knowledge about the aspects directly related with the injection system was noted. We advise to design a suitable educational program for these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: López Siguero
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Martínez Aedo
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: López Moreno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez Valverde
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014424:Turner Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D013006:Growth Hormone