title: A panchayat level primary-care approach for adolescent services.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a model for providing community adolescent care services in the primary care setting
  
  
  METHODS
  Need assessment was done among adolescents and perceived problems of adolescents were studied using qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on the results of these studies, a Family Life Education (FLE) module was prepared. Awareness programs were organized for all stakeholders in the community on adolescent issues. All anganwadi workers in the panchayat were trained to take interactive sessions for all the adolescents in the panchayat using the FLE module. Ward based Teen Clubs were formed in all the 13 wards of the Panchayat separately for boys and girls and FLE classes were given to them through anganwadi workers. An Adolescent Clinic was set up to provide necessary medical and counseling facilities. Adolescent Health Card was distributed to all Teen Club members and those who attended the adolescent clinics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present approach stresses the need and feasibility of adolescent-centered, community-based interventions. The authors' experience showed that before starting any adolescent program, community awareness generation about the need and content of the program is very important for its success. The experience of this model has made it possible to up-scale the program to seven districts of southern Kerala as a service model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The experiences of the program gave a realistic picture of the needs and problems of adolescents and a simple feasible model for providing services to adolescents in the primary care setting that can be easily replicated in other parts of India.
authors.affiliation: Child Development Centre, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram 695011, Kerala, India. cdcmkc@gmail.com
authors.forename: M K C
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Leena
authors.forename: Babu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sunitha
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Prasanna
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D003153:Community Health Services; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult