OAKLAND,
BUSINESS WIRE -- In the growing national debate over teen alienation,
Kaiser Permanente researchers have created a new way to put teenagers'
fascination with video games to work.
A
teen-friendly, interactive CD-ROM is a tool that helps counselors
identify adolescents at risk for the kind of severe alienation
that led to the recent tragedy in Colorado, along with problems
like drug abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and eating disorders.
Researchers found that teens preferred giving honest answers about
sensitive topics to the computer rather than talking face-to-face
to an adult.
"This
is a tool that would have been useful in Denver for identifying
kids with depression and the feelings of alienation we saw there,"
said Pat Forman, MPH, Teen Challenge program manager. "It screens
for many relevant factors -- suicide, self-esteem, anger and violence,
alienation, the use of weapons, family relationships. Teen Challenge
can be part of an effort to reach students and help them deal
with these issues before they get out of control, and it can also
alert counselors."
Kaiser
Permanente is making this computer-based health risk assessment
available to schools and community clinics. The program is geared
to the medically underserved group of 13- through 19-year-olds.
It has to be followed immediately by a counseling session and
with referrals to other resources as needed.
Teen
Challenge, which scored high grades with students who tested it,
is now in full swing at Vallejo High School and at the Kaiser
Permanente Medical Center in Vallejo. It will soon be up and running
at six Los Angeles Unified School District high schools, where
counselor training will begin shortly. Plans are underway to put
the program into San Diego community clinics and a number of other
locations, both within and outside of the Kaiser Permanente system.
To
be sure teens can identify with it, the CD-ROM was developed with
200 Berkeley and Oakland teenagers. It uses appealing graphics
and reflects how teens talk and dress and also their interests.
The teens said many other health materials aimed at them missed
the mark.
The
CD-ROM asks questions such as: Do you hang out with friends who
carry weapons? Have you ridden in a vehicle with a driver who
was drunk? How often do you have trouble sleeping because of stress?
The questions cover many facets of their lives --depression, drug
use, sexual activity, stress, diet, exercise, smoking and health.
Answers are confidential. A separate analysis is printed for both
for the teenager and the counselor, who then sit down together
for a counseling and education session. The CD-ROM provides phone
listings of local resources and informational handouts. It also
stores data for analysis of results that can show trends among
demographic groups, pointing out areas where some teens may need
extra support from the community.
Teen
Challenge was tested in a two-year pilot program at Oakland Technical
High School, Planned Parenthood of New York City, Group Health
of Spokane and Kaiser Permanente's Adolescent Medicine Clinic
in Oakland. Counselors described it as a highly valuable tool.
A
survey of teen participants found:
--
99 percent said the counseling sessions helped them
--
Almost two thirds said they would make a change in their lives
because of what they learned in the program 91 percent said they
answered all questions honestly, and more than half preferred
the computer to filling out a paper questionnaire. Teens are generally
reluctant to report risky think less of them, and participants
said they felt more comfortable responding to the computer
--
More than 90 percent found the computer program useful; 84 percent
would recommend it to a friend
Kaiser
Permanente, California is a prepaid, group practice health maintenance
organization (HMO) serving more than 5.5 million members throughout
the state. More than 7,000 Permanente medical group physicians
in both The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) in Northern California
and the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG),
as well as 55,300 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals
employees, provide care to Health Plan members. There are 28 major
medical centers organized into 12 service areas throughout California.
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