Goals for Health was a National Cancer Institute funded program designed to impact health behaviors of adolescents living in rural Virginia and New York. This study examined three specific objectives: (a) to examine participants' perceptions of the program components and the relationship between program components and overall program perception,…

Background: About 40% of White American women over age 50 experience osteoporosis-related fracture of the hip, spine, or wrist during their lives. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of osteoporosis knowledge and beliefs among young women. Methods: University women (n=302) completed a self-administered osteoporosis risk…

Investigated college students' knowledge of the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Few students knew what HPV was. Most of the females who had been screened knew that a Pap smear could detect HPV and cervical cancer. Over half of the students did not realize the link between HPV and cervical cancer. Students…

Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States, causing genital warts, cervical cell abnormalities, and cervical cancer in women. To inform HPV education efforts, 35 focus groups were conducted with members of the general public, stratified by gender, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural…

Surveyed adolescent boys who had participated in a brief outreach program to high school health education classes designed to increase boys' knowledge about and improve their attitudes toward testicular self-examination (TSE) and early cancer detection. Results indicated that the 1-hour outreach improved students' knowledge and attitudes regarding…

Latino youths completed surveys about their knowledge of risk factors for oral cancer and tobacco and alcohol use. Additionally, trained youths attempted to purchase cigarettes from local stores. Respondents were ill-informed about oral cancer. Over half knew risk factors for smoking and alcohol use. Over half of the stores would have sold…

Cervical cancer is relatively preventable through regular cervical examinations and by engaging in healthy practices concerning lifestyle behaviors, like safe sexual intercourse. Despite the benefits that regular pap tests provide, screening tests continue to be under used by women, with younger women being one of the most negligent groups. Since…

Prostate health has emerged as a key health issue for men. Nearly 10000 men die from prostate cancer each year and many more live with non-cancerous, but debilitating, prostate conditions. Despite the widespread prevalence, evidence suggests that men lack knowledge about male cancers and conditions, and are more likely to ignore signs and delay…

Cancer is the number one cause of death for Asian American women, yet they have the lowest rates of cancer screening. Contributing factors, particularly for Hmong women, include the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate educational interventions. This study aimed to develop a culturally and linguistically appropriate intervention to…

A Cancer Knowledge Questionnaire was developed to assess the relationship of cancer knowledge to attitudinal predispositions to accept and interact with children with cancer. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)

Melanoma, the most fatal form of skin cancer, is rising at rates faster than all other preventable cancers in the United States. Childhood exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light increases the risk for skin cancer as an adult, therefore, starting positive sun protection habits early may be key to reducing the incidence of this disease. The…

Background: Melanoma can be curable if detected early. One component of detecting melanoma is an awareness of the important features of the disease. It is currently not clear which features the community view as indicative of melanoma. Objective: To investigate which features of the skin members of an urban community believe may indicate skin…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the melanoma and sun protection knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of college students attending a large Midwestern university. Further, gender and skin type (fair, medium, or dark) were examined as potential intervening variables. Results indicate that the college students studied had low knowledge levels…

The authors assessed young men's knowledge and perceptions of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection to identify factors that predict intention to make positive behavioral changes. Male university students aged 18 to 25 years completed a self-report instrument to assess knowledge and perceptions of genital HPV infection. If diagnosed with…

A study determined whether changes in knowledge, selected attitudes, and self-examination behavior occurred among college-aged men after exposure to alternative cancer education programs. College-aged men (n=128) from two large health education classes at a mid-western university were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. The first group…