Abstract
This study aimed to (1) compare the acquisition of health-related information, self-esteem, and health self-concept between adolescents with biliary atresia (BA) and healthy adolescents and (2) determine the relationships between acquiring health-related information and self-esteem or health self-concept in adolescents with BA. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 24 BA adolescents (including fifth grade elementary school students to third grade high school students, a university student, and a working adolescent less than 19 years old) and 24 healthy adolescents (including fifth grade elementary school students to third grade senior high school students). The main results were as follows. (1) Both groups obtained information most frequently on the risks of smoking/alcohol use and less frequently on constipation. Further, the desire to gain information on healthy eating habits and body shape was the highest, while the desire to acquire information on the physical and mental changes that occur during adolescence was the least. (2) Compared to healthy adolescents, BA adolescents were more likely to consider doctors as resources for information acquisition and for obtaining the desired information. (3) Among BA adolescents, the elementary school students showed higher scores for self-esteem than the high school students. (4) The definition of health according to BA adolescents was classified into 11 categories; further, the categories "to be at par with others," "ability to do the desired things," and "no need for admission or visit to a hospital and other illness-related behaviors" were identified only among BA adolescents. (5) The BA adolescent who had the lowest score for self-esteem reported "to be at par with others" as the definition of health, and their scores for information acquisition and the desire to obtain information were below average.
