Body Morph: Feasibility Testing of an Interactive CD-ROM to Teach Young Adolescents About Puberty

• NCJ Number: 216657
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2006 Pages: 1015-1021
• Author(s): Tara M. Cousineau; Debra L. Franko; Traci C. Green; Meredith Watt; Diana Rancourt
• Date Published: December 2006
• Length: 7 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1R43DK061269-01A2
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A pre-post knowledge test was administered to 34 sixth and seventh graders in order to determine outcomes from their viewing of an interactive CD-ROM entitled, "Body Morph," which was developed in order to improve students' knowledge about puberty.

Abstract

The study found that the students improved their knowledge about puberty after viewing "Body Morph," which suggests that the program has the potential to increase young adolescent's knowledge of puberty; however, because there was no control group used in the study, the findings do not ensure that the changes that occurred were directly due to viewing "Body Morph." For boys, the increase in puberty knowledge was linked to less acceptance of the male sociocultural muscular ideal of manliness. For girls, there was no significant connection between program participation and perceptions of body image. The program was well received by the students, with many finding the information interesting and fun to learn. Puberty education through private, interactive viewing of a CD-ROM on a personal computer avoids the embarrassment of learning about bodily changes in group settings. The findings suggest that this teaching technique can be an important addition to classroom formats or parent-child dialog about puberty. "Body Morph" begins by asking gender-based questions that guide the student in comparing his/her perception of personal pubertal development with that of his/her peers. After this self-assessment of pubertal development, a narrative is presented by an animated teen, who introduces the viewer to the interactive Body Morph book seen on the computer screen. The book provides basic information about puberty in a playful, nonjudgmental manner. The book covers basic physiological information about hormones, growth spurts, and appearance of secondary sex characteristics experienced by boys and girls. 2 tables and 30 references