title: Health care providers and adolescents' perspectives towards adolescents' health education needs: a need assessment based on comparative approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health care providers have considerable influence on adolescents' health promotion. Thus, it is important to focus on the views of this group as one of the most reliable sources in the evaluation of teenagers' health needs. The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes of Iranian health care providers and adolescents towards the latter's health education needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quantitative cross-sectional survey, including 72 health care providers and 402 female students from 14 high schools in northern Iran, was carried out in 2011. Topics in a self-administrated questionnaire covered the participants' perspectives towards the educational health needs of adolescents in a five-point Likert scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings revealed from health care providers' views indicate that the highest mean score was assigned to "Education about prevention of sexual high risk behavior", which was significantly different from adolescents' perspective (t=8.42, p<0.05). RESULTS showed that health care providers and adolescents both emphasized on the mothers' role as the most reliable source of adolescents' education (t=1.85, p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Provision of health education programs for adolescents, which are based on integration of health care providers' perspectives and the adolescents' views, are essential in meeting adolescents' educational health needs.
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shahhosseini
authors.forename: Kobra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abedian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D020380:Needs Assessment; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000193:education; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012574:Schools; D012736:Sex Education; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires