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Health care seeking behavior of adolescents: Comparative study of two service delivery models

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Abstract

Objectives. To assess the perceived health problems and help seeking behaviour and utilization pattern of adolescent health clinics

Methods. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 360 school going adolescents who were selected by stratified random sampling from two sectors of Chandigarh where services were being provided by a school-based and dispensary-based adolescent health clinic

Result. Majority (81%) of the adolescents reported having some health problem during last three months prior to the survey; predominant (60%) problems were psychological and behavioural in nature. To resolve these problems boys consulted mainly friends/peers (48%) while girls consulted their mothers (63%). Compared to the dispensary-based adolescent health clinic, utilisation was significantly higher in a school-based clinic where proportion of psychological or behavioural problems reported was also significantly higher (p<0.01)

Conclusion. Adolescents have greater counselling needs for psychosocial problems than for medical problems. Schoolbased adolescent health clinic was utilized more often than the dispensary-based clinic particularly for psychosocial problems

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh City, India

    Rajesh Kumar, Shankar Prinja & P. V. M. Lakshmi

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  1. Rajesh Kumar
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  2. Shankar Prinja
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  3. P. V. M. Lakshmi
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Correspondence to Rajesh Kumar.

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Kumar, R., Prinja, S. & Lakshmi, P.V.M. Health care seeking behavior of adolescents: Comparative study of two service delivery models. Indian J Pediatr 75, 895–899 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-008-0098-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-008-0098-2

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