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RAND:
A survey of lesbian, gay and bisexual teenagers found that 70 percent said most people they knew were aware of their sexual orientation, but only 35 percent reported that their doctor knew, according to a new study by the RAND Corporation and UCLA.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the Society for Adolescent Medicine all recommend that physicians discuss sexuality with all adolescents and provide nonjudgmental communication about sexual orientation.
This is important because if a physician is aware of an adolescent patient's sexual orientation, the doctor can offer appropriate health education and counseling, identify individual risk, and perform targeted screening tests and treatment.
"We knew that the sample that we chose was going to be a very 'out' sample," Meckler said.
Dr. Mark A. Schuster, senior author of the study and director of health promotion and disease prevention at RAND Health, added: "This is a reminder to physicians who take care of teens to try to create a comfortable, safe environment for young people to be open about their orientation, as well as other aspects of their sexuality."
Schuster is also a professor of pediatrics and public health at UCLA.
Ninety percent of the teens had been to see a doctor in the past two years, and nearly two-thirds had gone within the past 12 months.
But despite the fact that 66 percent thought it was very or somewhat important that their doctor know their sexual orientation in order to provide the best health care possible, only 35 percent said their physician knew their sexual orientation.
Posted on January 4, 2007 06:44 PM
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