1. 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 10-19 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 15-19 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 20-24 reported 101 live births for every 1000 women, second only to the age group 25-29 (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 email.  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 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/prelimbirth04_tables.pdf. Accessed 2006 December 4. 2. Dehne, K.L., Riedren, G. 2005. 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. 2003. Reproductive health: knowledge and opinions of university students in Erzurum, Turkey. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care 8:177-184. 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 Freshmen11673434769 Seniors12063575268 Tallied Results23613610099137