The obese adolescent.

Childhood obesity is one of the formidable challenges that healthcare providers face. Early recognition and implementation of preventive strategies is crucial in combating this problem. Inculcation of a healthy lifestyle in our youth by encouraging physical activity, decreasing sedentary pastimes, and making healthy food choices is critical right from the start, before poor habits become ingrained.

Effective interviewing and counseling of the adolescent patient.

A vast number of successful recommendations are available to physicians who want to learn how to strengthen their interactions with adolescent patients. Understanding that the physician-patient relationship is dynamic is the first step toward building a strong repertoire within this patient sample. Therefore, physicians may assume that adolescent perceptions of the physician-patient relationship and the services provided will change as they change developmentally or as the situation is modified.

Prevalence of obesity, acanthosis nigricans and hyperinsulinemia in an adolescent clinic.

A descriptive chart analyses was conducted of 100 consecutive patients at an adolescent medicine clinic at West Virginia University School of Medicine between April and May 2002 to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity, acanthosis nigricans and hyperinsulinemia. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and screening for acanthosis nigricans (AN) were recorded. For patients with AN, fasting lipid, glucose, and insulin levels were also recorded.

Depressive symptoms and health risk among rural adolescents.

Objective: To determine the stability of depression and its relationship with health risk factors among rural adolescents.

Methods: A clinic-based longitudinal study was conducted to test for depression and risk factors in 64 participants who attended a rural, primary care, adolescent medicine clinic. The primary measure of risk and depression was the Perkins Adolescent Risk Screen (PARS).

Validation of the Perkins Adolescent Risk Screen (PARS).

Purpose: To examine the initial psychometric properties for the PARS, a brief interview used to screen for 16 items of adolescent risk and protective factors.

Methods: Participants included 193 adolescents, attending public middle and high schools or a university-based Adolescent Clinic. Participants completed a PARS interview, as well as a battery of questionnaires.

Eating disorders in adolescents.

Eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia are commonly seen in adolescent patients. There are many medical complications including disturbances in cardiac, endocrine, bone, gastrointestinal, hematological, neurological, metabolic, and renal function. There are characteristic dermatological and dental findings.