[Behaviours and needs for health of secondary-school-adolescents in Sousse [Tunisia]]

ABSTRACT

It was a descriptive study bearing on a probabilistic sample of one-degree cluster composed of 685 adolescents studying in six secondary state schools in Sousse, during 1998 - 1999 school year. The facts had been collected through an anonymous and self administrated questionnaire. 23.3% of youngsters had a negative image of themselves. Parent-adolescent communication was inexistent in 30.6% of cases. At school. 24.3% of youngsters had a bad relationship with their teachers. One adolescent on four felt rather alone. One on three was not satisfied by leisure means put at his disposal. Alimentary behavior was disturbed for one adolescent on three. The prevalence rates of smoking and alcoholism were respectively 14.8% and 9%. At least, one suicide attempt was observed in 7.7%. Among sexually active youngsters, 23.8% did not use a contraceptive mean. This study revealed that adolescent was threatened by a hostile environment which may worsen his identity crisis and exposed him to adopt many risky behaviors