[Assessing adolescent's health in school medicine: quality of life as a complement to clinical indicators].
Current medical practices of school health for adolescents are more based on the screening of specific physical problems than on psychosocial and subjective aspects of their health.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed at evaluating the usefulness of a quality of life (QoL) questionnaire during the consultations.


METHODS
Ninety-five adolescents (mean age: 16.9 years) present for the obligatory medical check-up in a health center in Brussels, were involved in the study. Data of the medical records were analysed and two questionnaires were administrated, one exploring the quality of life (VSP-A), the other the presence of depressive symptoms (CES-D).


RESULTS
These adolescents were in good physical health and had a mean score of global quality of life of 62 (DS =11.2); 17% of the adolescents had significant depressive symptoms (score > or =24). There was a significant negative correlation between the scores of QoL and depression (R =-0.680, P <0.01), the QoL psychological dimension and depression (R =-0.656, P <0.01), the QoL energy-vitality dimension and depression (R= -0.763, P <0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
An evaluation of the quality of life, approaching the mental health of the teenagers in a multidimensional and positive way, can be useful in school medicine for better identifying the medical and psychosocial adolescents needs. It can improve the relevance of the preventive consultation and the interventions of health promotion in schools.
Renard
F
F
Unité d'éducation pour la santé, faculté de médecine, université catholique de Louvain, 5070, avenue Emmanuel Mounier, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgique. florence.renard@reso.ucl.ac.be
Delpire
S
S
Deccache
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011788:Quality of Life; D012572:School Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires