College Students Anatomical Knowledge of Human Reproductive Systems Characterized by Class Status, Gender and Major Lyndsey Eisenhart, Department of Biology, York College Introduction  Adolescents, categorized as years of age by the WHO, make up 20% of the world’s population. 2  University students are among the fastest growing population in the United States. These students have three characteristics that are extremely important in terms of reproductive anatomy and health.  They belong to fertile age groups (ages and 20-24).  They will most likely become parents in the near future.  Many are likely to become involved in the community. 3  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2004, females aged reported 101 live births for every 1000 women, second only to the age group (115.5/1000). 1  There is no known research on anatomical knowledge of young adults in the United States.  The overall aim of this study was to describe the knowledge of human anatomy and reproduction of college-aged students through a multiple-choice survey. Objectives  Compare the anatomy knowledge of:  Seniors vs. Freshmen.  Biology Majors vs. Non Biology Majors.  Females vs. Males.  Compare the number of anatomy questions answered with “I don’t know” of:  Seniors vs. Freshmen.  Biology Majors vs. Non Biology Majors.  Females vs. Males.  Determine if Knowledge Score and Freshmen sibling number are interrelated. Simply Stated  Bio Majors & Seniors: greater knowledge of anatomy.  Non Bio Majors & Freshmen: greater “unknown knowledge” (more omitted questions).  No difference in knowledge or “unknown knowledge” based on gender. Acknowledgements  Special THANKS to Dr. Rehnberg for his continued support and encouragement throughout this project.  Exceptional THANKS to Dr. Kaltreider for all his graphical ideas to organize my loads of data.  THANKS to Dr. Kaltreider and Dr. Botyrius for allowing me to raid their biology labs to distribute my survey.  And an EXTRAORDINARY THANK YOU to all the Freshmen and Seniors that participated in this study. Knowledge ScoresUnknown Knowledge Scores Methods  A 24-question, multiple-choice survey on human anatomy and physiology was formed.  Study received approval from the Internal Review Board at YCP.  Surveys were distributed to Freshmen (18-20 years) and Seniors (20-22 years) by hand in class, and dorm rooms and via .  Table 1 shows sample sizes in each category of returned surveys.  Unpaired T-Tests (Prism 4) and Spearman Correlation Analysis were performed on results.  Statistical significance (shown in graphs by *) was defined as two-tailed P values less than or equal to five percent. Survey Instructions  Participation in this survey was voluntary and anonymous.  Students were instructed to supply only the answers they were certain were correct.  “Knowledge Score” indicates Correct Answers.  Incorrect answers lower Knowledge Score.  If students were unsure of an answer, they were told to answer with “I don’t know.”  “Unknown Knowledge Score” indicates Omitted Questions (“I don’t know” answers) Example Survey Questions  Sperm is produced in the _______ of the testes. A. epididymis B. seminiferous tubules C. Cowper’s gland D. I don’t know.  Epithelial cells from the _____ of the uterus shed during menstruation. A. perimetrium B. myometrium C. endometrium D. I don’t know. Sources 1. Center for Disease Control. Available from Accessed 2006 December Dehne, K.L., Riedren, G Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Adolescents. The Need for Adequate Health Services. World Health Organization and Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit. Geneva, Switzerland. 3. Inandi, T., Tosun, A., and Guraksin, A Reproductive health: knowledge and opinions of university students in Erzurum, Turkey. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care 8: Discussion Note: Read Sr. > Fr. (Bio & Non Bio) as Senior Bio Majors had greater knowledge than Freshmen Bio Majors and Senior Non Bio Majors had greater knowledge than Freshmen Non Bio Majors. (Sr. = Seniors, Fr. = Freshmen, F = Female, M = Male). Knowledge Scores (based on Correct Answers)  Class: Sr. > Fr. (Bio & Non Bio) Bio > Non Bio (Sr. & Fr.)  Gender: Bio > Non Bio (Female & Male) NO DIFF: Female & Male within Major  Major: F Sr. Bio > F Fr. Bio F Sr. Non Bio > F. Fr. Non Bio M Sr. Bio > M Sr. Non Bio NO DIFF: Female & Male within Class & Major  No Correlation found in Spearman test of Knowledge and Freshmen Sibling Number. “Unknown Knowledge” Scores (based on ‘I Don’t Know’ Answers)  Class: Fr. > Sr. (Bio & Non Bio) Non Bio > Bio (Fr. & Sr.) Fr. Bio > Sr. Bio  Gender: Non Bio > Bio (Female & Male) NO DIFF: Female & Male within Major  Major: F Fr. Bio > F Sr. Bio F Fr. Non Bio > F. Sr. Non Bio Sr. Non Bio (F&M) > Sr. Bio (F&M) NO DIFF: Non Bio (Fr. & Sr.) NO DIFF: Fr. Bio & Fr. Non Bio (F&M) NO DIFF: Female & Male within Class & Major Table 1. Returned surveys with tallied results for each category. ParticipantsTotalFemalesMalesBio MajorsNon Bio Majors Freshmen Seniors Tallied Results