[Newly immigrant adolescents health and quality of life in Belgium: screening and prevention in school medicine].
OBJECTIVE
Little is known so far about the health of newly immigrant adolescents. The present study aimed to evaluate their health and quality of life (QoL) and to reinforce prevention and health promotion in school medicine.


METHODS
One hundred and fifty-eight adolescents (mean age: 15,4 years) from 37 nationalities were included in the study in two health centers in Brussels. This study was carried out by medical records analysis and administration of a questionnaire about health and QoL (VSP-A) in several languages.


RESULTS
The results showed adolescents in good physical health. Nevertheless their quality of life deteriorated over time in Belgium. The QoL was significantly lower for adolescents without social support: 48,0 (SD=13,5) vs 60,6 (SD=11,1) compared with adolescents with social support - i.e. with one resource person - on a scale from 0 to 100. Adolescents had many subjective health problems, like "the future" cited by half of them.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows the importance of developping a specific approach to newly immigrant adolescents health and the contribution of school medicine in the identification of biological, psychological and social needs and hightlights the preventive answers carried out by school medicine.
Renard
F
F
Unité d'éducation pour la santé, école de santé publique, faculté de médecine, université catholique de Louvain, avenue Emmanuel-Mounier, 5070, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgique. florence.renard@reso.ucl.ac.be
Martin
E
E
Cueva
C
C
Deccache
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011315:Preventive Medicine; D011788:Quality of Life; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012944:Social Support