Assessment of Adolescent Health Needs in Aran-Bidgol City, Iran

Background and Objectives: Considering the importance of adolescents' health and that the first step in designing a comprehensive health plan is to assess the needs of the target group, this study was conducted to determine the health needs of adolescents in Aran-Bidgol City, Iran. Methods: This Cross-sectional-analytical study was performed on 497 students (265 girls and 232 boys) aged 12-18 years studying in one of the first and second-grade high schools in Aran-Bidgol City in 2016. The sampling method was clustering. The data collection tool used in this study was the adolescent health needs questionnaire which was a standard and psychometric instrument by Iranian culture. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 using descriptive statistics and a Chi-square test at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Participants in the study were 53.30% girls and 46.70% boys. The mean score of students' health needs in order of priority included nutrition (22.09 ± 3.80), physical activity (10.19 ± 2.90), health education services (64.30 ± 15.90), healthy communication with parents (44.60 ± 7.60), personal hygiene (21.10 ± 2.71), mental health and counseling services (52.50 ± 7.90) and spiritual health (21.90 ± 3.70). Girls felt more of the need of healthy communication with their parents and boys in the area of personal hygiene. Conclusion: By the results of this study, communication between parents and children, health-related educational needs, personal hygiene, sleep, and spiritual health are some crucial issues that should be followed up in adolescents.