Article Review Assignment Completed Written Review Due October 4

(10 points for article for approval 100 points for completed review 110 points total if both the
article and the completed review are turned in on time)
1This assignment must be typed. Please address each of the points listed in the Format section
below.

1. Go to the Library or to the Full text resources on the Library website and get a peer reviewed full text
research article -an article published in a scientific journal - on a topic related to womens health that is
of interest to you.

The article must report original research. Editorials, reviews of the research of others, and general
informational pieces will not be acceptable. Articles from publications written for the general public
will not be acceptable; the work must be published in a scientific, peer-reviewed journal for the scientific
community. A peer reviewed article will contain each of the sections listed below.

2. (10 points) The article must be turned in for my review by 4:30 on September 6. You may submit
your article on paper or via email prior to this date for earlier approval. I will review it for suitability and
return it to you by September 11. Do not begin your review until your article has been approved.

3. Read and review the article. Your review should use the format outlined below, see attached
example. (Introduction, Purpose of the study, Methods, Results, Knowledge advancement and Personal
opinion).
____________________________________________________________________________________

Citation (using American Psychological Association style - see example below)

Author last name, First initial, (list all authors). (Year of publication). Title of the article. Title of the
Journal, Volume (Issue), page numbers.
Example:
Ackard, D. M., Kearney-Cooke, A., & Peterson, C. B. (2000). Effect of body image on womens sexual
behaviors. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 28(4), 422-429.

Format - Your review should answer the questions below in the order that they are asked. It should be
2 -3 pages long, and should be in your own words.

I. Introduction - why is the study relevant? What is the stated rationale for conducting the
research? Why do the authors believe that the research was worth conducting? How do they
justify the importance of conducting the research?

II. Purpose of the study What was the question(s) that the researchers were attempting to
answer? (The hypothesis that the researchers are attempting to validate.)

III. Methodology What was the sample size? Do you believe that the sample is representative of
the population as a whole? Can the results be generalized to the population? How was the data
obtained, i.e., survey, physical exams, etc.?

IV. Results What were the major findings?

V. What does this mean in terms of the advancement of knowledge regarding womens health?

VI. Your personal opinion. Do you think that the research was well done? Is it relevant?

4. Include a copy of the article with your review when you submit the assignment.
Examples of Appropriate Journals

American Journal of Health Studies

American Journal of Public Health
Eating Behaviors
Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders Review
Health Education & Behavior
International Journal of Eating Disorders
Journal of American College Health
Journal of Happiness Studies
Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Journal of Personality Assessment
Journal of Research in Personality
Journal of Social Psychology
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
Personality and Individual Differences
Psychology of Women Quarterly
Quality of Life Research
Sex Roles
Social Behavior and Personality

Example:

Blum, R. W., Beuhring, T., Wunderlich, M., & Resnick, M.D. (1996). Dont ask, they wont tell: Quality of
adolescent health screening in five practice settings. The American Journal of Public Health, 86 (12), 1767-
1772.

Introduction

As a result of a growing awareness of the importance of health screening during adolescence, the American Medical
Association (AMA) introduced a set of screening guidelines in 1994. These guidelines were intended to serve as a
framework for preventative services within the clinical setting. The recommendations addressed health issues related
to biomedical risks, and social, emotional, and behavioral areas that are currently recognized as sources of mortality
and morbidity among individuals in their adolescent years. Specific topics covered by the guidelines include
promoting parent responsiveness to the health needs of youth, pubertal adjustment, injury prevention, physical
fitness, dietary habits/eating disorder prevention, and psychosexual adjustment. The guidelines also addressed
issues related to prevention in the following areas: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, tobacco and alcohol use,
depression and suicide, abuse, learning problems, and infectious diseases.

Purpose of the Study

This study was undertaken to determine the extent to which health screening practices are actually being used
among adolescents in the clinical setting.

Methodology

Five practice settings deemed to be representative of the major sites where adolescents receive their health care
services were selected to be included in the study. These sites were private pediatric practices (n=2), private family
practices (n=1), community family practices (n=2), school-based teen clinics (n=1), and community teen clinics
(n=1).

Comprehensive age-appropriate screening was operationalized by counting the frequency that 21 health risks,
derived from the AMA guidelines, were assessed for adolescent patients, as documented in their medical records.
Health risks were clustered into five categories: biomedical risks, physical risks, psychosocial risks, substance use,
and sexual behavior. A sample of 150 patient charts was randomly selected from each setting. The charts were
examined by five professional hospital-based chart reviewers. If the chart included any evidence, no matter how
minimal, that any aspect of a health risk issue had been discussed at any encounter during the study year, the
practitioner was credited for having screened for the issue.
Results

The study found considerable variation across the five clinical settings. (see attachment, Figure 3) Screening
questions were least likely to have been asked in the two private settings and most likely to be asked in the
community settings that focus on a teenaged clientele. There was one exception to this pattern. Issues related to
biomedical risk were consistently addressed across settings. An analysis of variance was calculated to account for
the variation that occurred in health screening across the five settings. This test indicated that 2% of the variation
was accounted for by age, 3% by gender, 13% by difficulty of coding, or the amount of information recorded, and
48% by differences among practice settings.

The greatest source of variation in screening was evident not in the specialty of the practice (pediatric, family, or
teen-focused) but in the contrasts between private and community settings. It is possible that there is a self-selection
bias in that those practitioners who are most interested in working with adolescents choose to work in community,
and, especially, youth clinic settings. The variation across practice settings might also be explained by differences in
prior experience, training, and attitudes of the practitioners. It is reasonable to hypothesize that those who work in
youth-focused settings have a higher degree of comfort addressing social and behavioral issues.

Implications

The variation in health screening among practice settings found in this study indicates that there is a need for better
assessment tools and the training of health care providers to use these tools. The authors of this article suggest that
the guidelines published by the AMA could provide the framework for practical screening formats using a
combination of patient self-report and provider recording forms. These tools, along with necessary physician and
staff training, could lead to the incorporation of health screening into the physician/patient relationship and result in
the prevention of many of the problems that currently effect adolescent health.