A self-instructional program for diabetes educators on preconception counseling for women with diabetes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a self-instructional preconception counseling (PC) training program for Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) to enhance PC knowledge and self-efficacy.

Methods: A 1-group, pre-post test study was conducted with 31 CDEs from a large medical center in western Pennsylvania. The self-instructional program included selected readings, such as the American Diabetes Association's position statement on PC of women with diabetes and an interactive CD-ROM, "Reproductive-Health Awareness for Teenage Women With Diabetes" ("READY-Girls").

Adolescent behavior and sexually transmitted diseases: the dilemma of human papillomavirus.

Adolescence is a period of physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and moral development that often results in risk-taking behavior. As a consequence, adolescents are at high risk for sexually transmitted disease (STD). Two of the most common STDs in the United States, chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV), affect millions of adolescent women.