[Hospital nurses' perception of public health]. / La perception de la santé publique des infirmières à l'hôpital.

The objective of this work was to study hospital nurses' perceptions of public health based on a pedagogical exercise. A qualitative study, lead by students of a training institute for nursing care (IFSI), was conducted using semi-directed interviews of hospital nurses from different departments of a provincial hospital. The main results show that for one-third of the nurses interviewed, the hospital is not a setting for public health practice. In terms of their definition of public health, it is closely linked to the concept of prevention, with primarily individual approaches. This definition is very close to the public health activities that they conduct at the hospital and which are centred on information and disease prevention, on education related to pathologies and the relationship between the provision of care and listening to the patients and their families. Few nurses place their public health activities within the scope of the areas of hospital cleanliness, the welcoming of the patients, the organisation of services, and the improvement of the quality of care. The potential tracks which have emerged from this work lead to the need for the strengthening of training in patient education, in the hospital's work networking with external partners, and in better development of public health activities undertaken in the hospital setting.

[Analysis of regional health policy for children: an example from Lorraine]. / Analyse d'une politique régionale de santé des jeunes: l'exemple de la Lorraine.

Whereas today we have good, solid knowledge of the perception of health and its objectives from the perspective of youth, the recommendations of the High Commission on Public Health are geared towards the implementation of an overall health policy focusing on adolescent health. How is this policy implemented on a regional level? Is there coherence between actions undertaken within the same region? How do the various actors, elected officials, professionals, young people and families work together? A survey was conducted in the Lorraine region involving 217 people with a framework utilising both individual and group interviews. All categories of actors and stakeholders were represented. The results of this work demonstrate an often negative representation settings, and a partition of different approaches. Given that a variety of activities and actions exist, they are most often thematic. There undoubtedly remains a need to create links and build bridges between all of the projects carried out and to define in a more precise manner the common objectives focused on the health of young people.

[Adolescents and AIDS: knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, perceptions and consequences for prevention]. / Adolescents et SIDA: connaissances, attitudes, comportements, représentations et conséquences pour la prévention.

The vital issues at stake in the credibility and effectiveness of AIDS prevention programs for young people have led to the emergence of a trend in research focused on the study of adolescents' understanding of AIDS, their attitudes and behaviour towards it, and their beliefs about it. This research can be classified under the three main ways of approaching the problem: 1) results of inquiries about knowledge, attitudes and behaviour; 2) research centred on beliefs and their consequences on a social and individual level; 3) reports and analysis of prevention programs. The results obtained by the different authors bring to light certain characteristics among the adolescent population, notably, their understanding of the disease, their attitudes towards people who are HIV positive, their sexual behaviour, their beliefs about AIDS, and the general direction of the prevention programs which are best adapted to this particular population.