Prevalence Of Misconceptions Research Articles

Prevalence of Misconceptions and Myths Regarding Oral Health Among Medical and Dental Students in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Background The aim of study is to assess the prevalence of dental myths and misconceptions among the students of medicine and dentistry in Peshawar, Pakistan, and to gauge the quality of dental education, knowledge, and awareness. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on the current students of medicine and dentistry at Rehman Medical College, Rehman College of Dentistry, Gandhara University, Khyber Medical College, and Khyber College of Dentistry. They were questioned regarding their beliefs in dental misconceptions and myths prevalent in Peshawar, Pakistan. Results The sample comprised 400 undergraduate students, of whom 47.5% (190) were males and 52.5% (210) were females. The most held beliefs were that eating sugar does not affect teeth as long as one brushes twice a day (46%), brushing right after a meal is better for teeth (70%), and the extraction of baby teeth does not matter as they are going to be replaced by the permanent teeth in any case (38%). Most of these misconceptions had a significant association with the field of study. Conclusion The issue of myths and misconceptions regarding dental health and care is widespread, even in the academic community. This should be of significant concern to the relevant authorities, and adequate measures must be taken to dispel such false information.

Prevalence of misconception about HIV/AIDS transmission and associated factors among reproductive age women in Ethiopia: a nationwide study

BackgroundMisconceptions and myths are still the bottlenecks for the prevention of HIV/AIDS transmission in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of misconception about HIV transmission among reproductive age groups using the most recently available Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveydata.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was done using the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2016 data set. The data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to identify associated factors of misconception about HIV/AIDS transmission. A p-value of < 0.05 and an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval were considered to confirm a statistically significant association.ResultsFrom the sample of 11,425 reproductive-age women, the prevalence of misconception about HIV/AIDS transmission among reproductive-age women in Ethiopia was 27.47%. Women residing in rural area [AOR:1.24; 95% CI: 1.03–1.75] compared to urban resident participants, attended primary education [AOR:0.58;95%CI: 0.49–0.68], attended secondary education [AOR:0.36;95%CI:0.29–0.46], attended higher education [AOR:0.24;95%CI: 0.18–0.32] compared to those participants without education, had history of HIV test [AOR:0.77; 95%CI: 0.67–0.88] compared to their counterpart, respondents living in Amhara region [AOR:0.44:95% CI:0.35–0.54], Benishangul [AOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.25–0.46], SNNPR [AOR:0.50; 95% CI: 0.38–0.67], Gambela [AOR:0.57; 95% CI: 0.42–0.79], Harari [AOR:0.62; 95% CI: 0.46–0.82], Addis Ababa [AOR:0.63; 95% CI: 0.49–0.81] compared to those living in Tigray and having richest wealth status[AOR:0.57;95% CI: 1.457–4.078] compared to those whose wealth index was poorest were significantly associated with the misconception about HIV transmission.ConclusionOver all the prevalence of misconception about HIV/AIDS transmission among reproductive-age women in Ethiopia was high. Residence, educational level, wealth index, region, and respondents who ever tested for HIV were significantly associated with the misconception about HIV/AIDS transmission. This high misconception could affect HIV/AIDS transmission and its prevention strategies unless timely and appropriate intervention should be taken. Strengthening strategies aimed at maximizing HIV/AIDS testing, scaling up educational status, and emphasizing regional-wide interventions might have a substantial contribution.

Validating a concept inventory for measuring students’ probabilistic reasoning: The case of reasoning within the context of a raffle

Assessing students’ conceptions related to independence of events and determining probabilities from a sample space has been the focus of research in probability education for over 40 years. While we know a lot from past studies about predictable ways students may reason with well-known tasks, developing a diagnostic assessment that can be used by teachers to inform instruction demands the use of familiar and unfamiliar contexts. This paper presents the current work of a research team whose aim is to create a formative concept inventory with strong evidence of validity that uses a psychometric model to confidently predict whether a student exhibits one or more misconception across many items. We illustrate this process in this paper using a particular item with a context of a raffle aimed to measure whether a student reasons with misconceptions related to independence or equiprobability. The results of two aspects of the validity process: cognitive interviews to assess response processes on individual items, and a large-scale administration to examine internal structure of the concept inventory revealed difficulties in assessing students’ reasoning about these key probability concepts and trends in the prevalence of misconceptions across grades. Results can provide guidance for others aiming to develop assessments in mathematics education and also support further possibilities for research into understanding students’ reasoning about independence and sample space.

Learners’ prevalent misconceptions about force and experiences of flipped classes

Misconceptions challenge science learning. This study investigated Grade eleven learners’ prevalent misconceptions about force using Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and learners’ experiences of using flipped class. The sample comprised 190 learners for FCI and 14 learners for Focus Group Discussions (FGD). A quasi-experimental design using Experimental Group (EG), which was taught using Flipped classes and Control Group (CG) taught using Talk and Chalk method (TCM). Descriptive statistics, concentration analysis, t-test and thematic analysis were used to analyse data. Results show an 81.8% prevalence of misconceptions in seven categories. The most common patterns of misconceptions were Low and Low (LL) and Low and Medium (LM), while the least included Medium and Medium (MM). Two themes emerged from FGD: interesting learning about Isaac Newton's background and identifying their incoherent knowledge of the force. It suggests that using flipped classes minimised misconceptions and created interest in science for gifted and less gifted learners, which resulted in improved learners’ performance

Exploring barriers of quitting smokeless tobacco among coronary artery disease patients of India: A qualitative study.

Cessation of all forms of tobacco is necessary for controlling mortality associated with coronary artery diseases (CADs). In India, smokeless tobacco (SLT) is the most used form of tobacco. With around 60% of the world's smokeless tobacco users living in India, the task of tobacco cessation has become daunting and complicated for Indian researchers and policy makers. We conducted the present study to understand CAD patients' perspectives towards their SLT use and to identify barriers of SLT cessation. Using a semi-structured interview method, we obtained data from 12 CAD patients who were currently using some form of SLT. Thematic analysis suggests that CAD patients were unable to quit SLT addiction due to (a) certain socio-environmental factors that support SLT, (b) prevalence of misconceptions about the link between SLT use and their cardiac condition, (c) perceived lower self-efficacy to quit, (d) fatalistic attitude towards health outcomes and (e) substituting addiction with perceived lesser harmful products. The findings reveal that factors responsible for the continuation of SLT usage are multipronged. Current SLT users' perspectives can facilitate the development of effective intervention and rehabilitation programs aimed at de-addiction of cardiac patients.

Prevalence of Misconceptions about Diabetes and their Association with Metabolic and Psychological Variables

Objective: To evaluate misconceptions about diabetes in people who attend the first visit at the CAIPaDi program, as well as its association with metabolic and psychological variables at short and long term. Methods and Analysis: The frequency of misconceptions in diabetes was determined through a true/false survey. We compared sociodemographic, metabolic and psychological variables between people with and without misconceptions at baseline, at 3 months and 1 year after a multidisciplinary educational program. Results: 902 participants answered the survey, with an age of 50 ±10 years old, 54.3% were women, with 1 (0-5) years living with type 2 diabetes. At baseline, 53% of the participants had at least 1 misconception, being more frequent in women (p=0.045) and in population with lower educational level (p&lt;0.001). The most common were "emotional stress and fright cause diabetes" (34.4%), "in the control of my diabetes only matters glucose management" (15.2%) and "women with diabetes should not get pregnant" (11.8%). At basal, patients with misconceptions had higher HbA1c (9.0 ± 2.6 vs 8.4 ± 2.4, p &lt;0.001), lower quality of life (DQOL 95.2 ± 26.2 vs 90.2 ± 23.6, p = 0.03), more problematic areas in diabetes (41.2 [21.2-58.4] vs 35 [17.5-52.6], p = 0.01), more depression (42.6% vs 32.9%, p = 0.003) and anxiety (58.6% vs 40.6%, p = 0.001) compared to patients without misconceptions. With the exception of HbA1c (6.6 ± 1 vs 6.4 ± 0.8, p = 0.025 at 1 year), no differences were observed in the annual visits. Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of people with misconceptions in diabetes. This group had worst glycaemic control, higher scores in PAID questionnaire, lower quality of life and more depression and anxiety symptoms. Participants with misconceptions had lower educational level. An educative program an educational assistance program can minimize differences by eradicating misconceptions.

Prevalence of Misconceptions that the Indian Population Possesses with Regard to Dental Treatment- A Survey

Prevalence of Misconceptions that the Indian Population Possesses with Regard to Dental Treatment- A Survey

Putting post-decision wagering to the test: ameasure of self-perceived knowledge in basic sciences?

IntroductionStudents learn more effectively when they know what they do not know. Gaining insight into students’ metacognitive awareness is needed as misalignment between actual and self-perceived knowledge impedes their learning process. The optimal method of measuring self-perceived knowledge is still under debate. In this study, we evaluate the use of psychology-derived post-decision wagering for mapping students self-perceived knowledge.MethodsStudents (n = 71) performed a pre-test on medical physiology, followed by a teacher-moderated discussion and a post-test with isomorph questions. Half of the students rated their self-perceived knowledge on each question using post-decision wagering, i. e. betting 1–5 points on the correctness of their answer, whereas the other half used a 5-point Likert scale to rate their confidence.ResultsSelf-perceived knowledge scores were higher for post-decision wagering (pre: 3.75 ± 0.14, post: 4.60 ± 0.07) compared with Likert scales (pre: 3.13 ± 0.08, post: 3.92 ± 0.08) despite similar actual knowledge scores. Furthermore, Likert ratings showed a near-normal distribution, whereas wagers were placed preferentially using the outer ends of the scale. Correlations between mean actual and self-perceived knowledge scores were low in both groups. On average, 8.5% of responses were classified as misconceptions, defined as highly confident incorrect answers.DiscussionDespite the presumed reliability of post-decision wagering, our findings suggest that we should adhere to the use of Likert scales as a balanced measure for self-perceived knowledge in medical education. Moreover, the prevalence of misconceptions did not alter after instruction, indicating a need for instructional designs that enhance students’ conceptual understanding in basic sciences.

How can we teach medical students to choose wisely? A randomised controlled cross-over study of video- versus text-based case scenarios

BackgroundThe Choosing Wisely campaign highlights the importance of clinical reasoning abilities for competent and reflective physicians. The principles of this campaign should be addressed in undergraduate medical education. Recent research suggests that answering questions on important steps in patient management promotes knowledge retention. It is less clear whether increasing the authenticity of educational material by the inclusion of videos further enhances learning outcome.MethodsIn a prospective randomised controlled cross-over study, we assessed whether repeated video-based testing is more effective than repeated text-based testing in training students to choose appropriate diagnostic tests, arrive at correct diagnoses and identify advisable therapies. Following an entry exam, fourth-year undergraduate medical students attended 10 weekly computer-based seminars during which they studied patient case histories. Each case contained five key feature questions (items) on the diagnosis and treatment of the presented patient. Students were randomly allocated to read text cases (control condition) or watch videos (intervention), and assignment to either text or video was switched between groups every week. Using a within-subjects design, student performance on video-based and text-based items was assessed 13 weeks (exit exam) and 9 months (retention test) after the first day of term. The primary outcome was the within-subject difference in performance on video-based and text-based items in the exit exam.ResultsOf 125 eligible students, 93 provided data for all three exams (response rate 74.4%). Percent scores were significantly higher for video-based than for text-based items in the exit exam (76.2 ± 19.4% vs. 72.4 ± 19.1%, p = 0.026) but not the retention test (69.2 ± 20.2% vs. 66.4 ± 20.3%, p = 0.108). An additional Bayesian analysis of this retention test suggested that video-based training is marginally more effective than text-based training in the long term (Bayes factor 2.36). Regardless of presentation format, student responses revealed a high prevalence of erroneous beliefs that, if applied to the clinical context, could place patients at risk.ConclusionRepeated video-based key feature testing produces superior short-term learning outcome compared to text-based testing. Given the high prevalence of misconceptions, efforts to improve clinical reasoning training in medical education are warranted. The Choosing Wisely campaign lends itself to being part of this process.

Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of Occupational Physicians towards seasonal influenza vaccination: a cross-sectional study from North-Eastern Italy.

The present study aims to characterize personal attitudes and knowledge of a sample of Italian Occupational Physicians (OPh) towards Seasonal Influenza Vaccine (SIV) in healthcare workers (HCWs). In total, 92 OPh (42.4% males, 57.6% females, mean age of 47.3 ± 10.4 years, 50 specialists in Occupational Medicine, 42 specialists in Hygiene and Public Health) were asked about their attitudes towards influenza vaccine, their general knowledge of vaccine practice, their propensity towards vaccines and, eventually, their risk perception about the influenza and influenza vaccine was investigated. A regression analysis was then performed in order to better characterize predictive factors for vaccine propensity. Influenza was recognized as a vaccination recommended for HCWs in 89/92 of the sampled OPh (96.7%). However, prevalence of misconceptions about vaccines was relatively high, with 26/92 (28.3%) and 24/92 (26.1%) referring vaccinations as eliciting allergic and autoimmune diseases, respectively and identifying lethargic encephalitis (18/92, 19.6%), autism (17/92, 18.5%), diabetes mellitus (15/92, 16.3%) and multiple sclerosis (13/92, 14.1%) as causatively vaccine-related. Propensity towards influenza vaccination found a significant predictor in the general knowledge (beta coefficient 0.213, p value = 0.043), risk perception (beta coefficient 0.252, p value = 0.018) and general propensity towards vaccinations (beta coefficient 0.384, p value = 0.002). In spite of a diffuse propensity towards SIV, adherence of OPh was still < 50% of the sample. Moreover, sharing of misbeliefs and misconceptions was significant. As knowledge and risk perceptions were identified as significant predictors of vaccine propensity, our results suggest that information and training programs for OPh should be appropriately designed.

A study to assess the prevailing misconception on HIV/AIDS among rural population

Introduction: HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is the virus that causes AIDS. For many reasons, AIDS is a disease that commonly misunderstood disease and as a result, unduly feared, but the weapon against fear is knowledge. Objective is to assess knowledge and the status of prevailing misconception of HIV/AIDS in the rural population of Venkatachalam PHC area. Methods & material: Community based descriptive cross sectional study among people aged more than 13 years, using cluster samplingtechnique, 1332 samples were selected. A pretested structured questionnaire was administered. Results: It was found that 452(34.02%) of the study population had the misconception that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted by mosquito bites and 157(12.00%) thought that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted by just talking to HIV/AIDS affected person. In the age group of 44-53, 40(31.0%) thought that HIV was transmitted through mosquito bite while 16(12.4%) thought that HIV/AIDS was transmitted by shaking hands, talking and caring for HIV/AIDS affected persons. The prevalence of misconception with regards to modes of transmission was high even among the professionals and skilled laborers. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the study that only 30% of the study population knew that HIV is a virus; 54% of the subjects knew all the 4 modes of transmission where as 22.40% had no knowledge about all the modes of Transmission.

Assessment of Knowledge and Dietary Misconceptions among Diabetic Patients

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health problem globally and so are misconceptions. Misconceptions can lead to poor glycemic control among diabetic patients and hence may results in complications and therefore increased incidence of morbidity and mortality. Objective: Assessment of knowledge and dietary misconceptions among diabetic patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted among diabetic patients for a period of 6 months, using a validated questionnaire. Patients were contacted while attending to a health care facility in Quetta, Pakistan. A self-administered questionnaire was introduced among participants. Assistance was provided to those who could not read or understand the questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed in English and then translated in to Urdu by a language expert. The data were coded and entered to statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. The responses to the questionnaire were analyzed by performing descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Study showed that almost 83% of diabetic subjects believed that “in diabetes sugar cannot be used at any cost”, while 68% believed that special diabetic food is used in diabetes; almost 66% patients admitted that they can suffer from other diseases and infections due to diabetes. Misconceptions were more common among uneducated and low income people. Conclusion: The prevalence of misconceptions about Diabetes is high among uneducated and low income people. Key words : Diabetes Mellitus, Knowledge, Misconceptions, Myths, Treatment, Pakistan.

Prevailing Misconceptions on HIV/AIDS among Rural Population

HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is the virus that causes AIDS. For many reasons, AIDS is a disease that commonly misunderstood disease and as a result, unduly feared, but the weapon against fear is knowledge. Objective is to assess knowledge and the status of prevailing misconception of HIV/AIDS in the rural population of Venkatachalam PHC area. Community based descriptive cross sectional study among people aged more than 13 years, using cluster samplingtechnique, 1332 samples were selected. A pretested structured questionnaire was administered. It was found that 452(34.02%) of the study population had the misconception that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted by mosquito bites and 157(12.00%) thought that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted by just talking to HIV/AIDS affected person. In the age group of 44-53, 40(31.0%) thought that HIV was transmitted through mosquito bite while 16(12.4%) thought that HIV/AIDS was transmitted by shaking hands, talking and caring for HIV/AIDS affected persons. The prevalence of misconception with regards to modes of transmission was high even among the professionals and skilled laborers. It can be concluded from the study that only 30% of the study population knew that HIV is a virus; 54% of the subjects knew all the 4 modes of transmission where as 22.40% had no knowledge about all the modes of transmission.

Comment on “HIV/AIDS Awareness among VCT Clients: A Cross-Sectional Study from Delhi, India”

We read the article titled “HIV/AIDS awareness among VCT clients: a cross-sectional study from Delhi, India” by Mehra et al. [1], with curiosity. This study emphasizes the poor knowledge and prevailing misconceptions about HIV/AIDS among the clients of a VCT facility in Delhi, India. However, the following issues and concerns need to be addressed. The authors have conducted a cross-sectional analysis at the VCT facility of a tertiary care health centre situated in Delhi, India. Two hundred consecutive clients who were ≥18 years of age and consenting for participation were included. However, the following should have been mentioned: How was the sample size calculated? When VCT monthly attendance is 1100, do 200 consecutive clients represent the VCT clients attending the study setting? Study sample adequacy and representativeness are the prerequisites to ensure the internal validity of the study findings. Hence, authors should have calculated the sample size based on the published literature or hypothesis and, instead of consecutive clients, systematic random sampling (e.g., every fifth VCT client) should have been adopted. VCT centre [now renamed as Integrated Counseling and Testing Centre (ICTC)] is a place where a person is counseled and tested for HIV, of his own free will or as advised by a medical provider [2]. However, it is not the mandate of a VCT centre to counsel and test everyone in the general population [2]. But the authors mention that 31.5% of the VCT clients had never heard of HIV/AIDS. If they had never heard of HIV/AIDS, then how come they were in VCT for HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing? Whom did the authors consider as a “VCT client”? In Table 5 of the study by Mehra et al. [1], chi-square (χ2) calculation for age and education is questionable as the sample size in “unaware” categories was very small. How many cells had an expected count less than 5? Did the authors consider Yates's correction or any other apt correction for chi-square (χ2)? Authors should have clearly addressed this in Materials and Methods. Authors could have reduced the degree of freedom by logically clubbing the age and education subgroups. The authors conclude that a significant proportion of Indian population is unaware of HIV/AIDS to the extent that they have not even heard of it and the prevalence of misconceptions regarding HIV transmission is also high in the Indian population. However, VCT clients do not represent the general population and extrapolating the findings of single VCT centre based study to Indian population is highly questionable [3]. In fact, authors should have stated it as a limitation. Nonetheless, we must applaud the authors for investigating an important public health problem.

Cardiovascular physiology misconceptions and the potential of cardiovascular physiology teaching to alleviate these

Background: Misconceptions are mental models of phenomena that are at variance with accepted scientific models of these phenomena.Aim: The goal of this study was to investigate the prevalence of some misconceptions among students about cardiovascular physiology and to evaluate the effectiveness of cardiovascular physiology teaching in alleviating these misconceptions.Method: A descriptive-analytic survey was undertaken with 348 undergraduates from the fields of medicine, nursing, and biology. Students were divided into two groups on the basis of whether they had passed or not taken the cardiovascular physiology course. The students were asked to answer four questions relating to cardiovascular. Descriptive statistic analysis and two-tailed comparison of the proportions was used to analyze their answers.Results: The prevalence of misconceptions about the left ventricular output versus the right ventricular output ranged from 80% to 98%. The misconception about pulse velocity compared with blood velocity in the vessels was 74% to 89%. Between 95% and 99% of answers to the effect of increased resistance on blood flow were incorrect in all groups. Between 69% and 73% of the students had trouble answering the question on parallel resistance and the effect of the removal of one limb on total peripheral resistance. For most of the questions, university lectures had no effect on alleviating these misconceptions.Conclusions: These results indicate that there is a high prevalence of misconceptions among students about at least four cardiovascular concepts associated with cardiovascular physiology and that teaching has failed to alleviate these misconceptions.

Prevalence of misconceptions, dogmas, and popular views about giftedness and intelligence: a case from Turkey

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of misconceptions, dogmas and popular views about giftedness and intelligence among Turkish lay people. A survey questionnaire consisting of 12 forced-choice items about global misconceptions, dogmatic beliefs and popular views related to giftedness and intelligence was used to collect data. Participants included 812 people (41.6% male; 58.4% female). Descriptive analyses yielded that a significant number of the participants expressed agreements with the statements related to misconceptions, dogmatic and popular beliefs. Nonparametric correlational analyses showed both educational status and age to be associated either negatively or positively with most of the statements. Findings imply that misconceptions, dogmas, and popular views about giftedness and intelligence are quite prevalent among Turkish lay people.

Monitoring of perceptions, anticipated behavioral, and psychological responses related to H5N1 influenza.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to monitor changes in behavioral and emotional responses to human H5N1 in the community over a 28-month period (from November 2005 to February 2008).MethodsA total of 3,527 Hong Kong Chinese adults were interviewed by telephone within the framework of six identical cross-sectional surveys carried out during the 28-month study period. Given a hypothetical scenario that two to three new human-to-human H5N1 cases had been reported in Hong Kong, the trends of the respondents in various H5N1-related risk perceptions, anticipated personal psychological responses, and anticipated personal preventive behaviors were investigated.ResultsOver time, a decreased proportion of the respondents (1) felt susceptible to contracting H5N1, (2) expected a large outbreak would eventually occur, (3) believed that the impacts of H5N1 were worse than those of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and (4) anticipated adopting more types of preventive measures and experiencing mental distress in the case of a small-scale outbreak in Hong Kong (AOR from 0.27 to 0.43, p < 0.001), but the public remained vigilant on public health behaviors, such as hand-washing. The prevalence of misconceptions on the mode of transmission declined, but remained high; perceptions on the fatality of H5N1 remained largely underestimated. The SARS experience and unconfirmed beliefs about the transmission modes were associated with variables on anticipated preventive behaviors and emotional distress.ConclusionStarting in 2005 through to 2008, respondents perceived a decreasing level of susceptibility, severity, and anticipated stress towards a hypothetical human-to-human H5N1 outbreak, possibly due to the low efficiency of transmission. The public’s general preparedness was still relatively good and rational, even though individual preventive behaviors were less common. However, misconceptions were prevalent among the respondents. Based on these results, public education is warranted to rectify these misconceptions.

Perceived versus actual knowledge about correct condom use among U.S. adolescents: results from a national study.

To assess the prevalence of three misconceptions about correct condom use and determine whether prevalence of these misconceptions varied by gender, sexual intercourse experience, experience using condoms, and the relationship between adolescents' actual and perceived knowledge about correct condom use. Variables that predicted misconceptions about correct condom use were also identified. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were analyzed to determine prevalence of misconceptions among 16,677 adolescents. Misconceptions were: (a) no space at the tip of the condom, (b) Vaseline can be used with condoms, and (c) lambskin protects against the acquired immunodeficiency virus better than latex. Chi-square analyses determined differences in prevalence of misconceptions between male and female adolescents based on their sexual and condom use experience as well as their level of perceived knowledge about correct condom use. Logistic regression models identified predictors of reporting misconceptions. Depending on intercourse experience and experience using condoms, about one-third to one-half believed the first two misconceptions and about one-fifth believed the latter one. Perception of knowledge about correct condom use was infrequently related to actual knowledge. Misconceptions were less likely among older adolescents, those ever having intercourse, those reporting four or more lifetime intercourse partners, those who had used condoms, females, and those not reporting a religious affiliation. Misconceptions about correct condom use are common among adolescents. Sexually active adolescents need more complete information about correct condom use.

Effects of head injury experience on head injury misconceptions

This study examined the prevalence of misconceptions and effects of head injury experience on the knowledge of head-injury sequelae in a college population. In comparison to previous studies, the college sample demonstrated a lower endorsement of misconceptions relative to the general population. Although there were some significant differences between head-injured and non-head injured subjects’ responses to several items, the overall patterns of responses for the two groups were quite similar. The results suggest that experience with head injury does not necessarily increase knowledge of head injury sequelae and may even bias perceptions in the direction toward increased misconceptions.

Prevalence of misconceptions regarding head injury in a college population: The effect of experience with head injury on knowledge of sequellae

Prevalence of misconceptions regarding head injury in a college population: The effect of experience with head injury on knowledge of sequellae