title: A descriptive qualitative study of adolescent girls' well-being in Northern Finland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have shown that girls present welfare-related symptoms differently than boys and that the severity of their symptoms increases with age. Girls living in Northern Finland experience reduced well-being in some aspects of their lives. However, the opinions of girls on these matters have not previously been studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to describe girls' well-being in Northern Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive qualitative study. The participants were 117 girls aged between 13 and 16 who were living in the province of Lapland in Finland and attending primary school. Data were collected electronically; the girls were asked to respond to a set of open-ended questions using a computer during a school day. The responses were evaluated by using inductive content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four main categories of girls' well-being were identified: health as a resource, a beneficial lifestyle, positive experience of life course, and favourable social relationships. Health as a resource was about feeling healthy and the ability to enjoy life. A beneficial lifestyle was about healthy habits and meaningful hobbies. Positive experience of life course is related to high self-esteem and feeling good, safe, and optimistic. Favourable social relationships meant having good relationships with family and friends.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To the participating girls, well-being was a positive experience and feeling which was revealed when they interact between their relationships, living conditions, lifestyle, and environment. Knowledge about girls' description of their well-being can be used to understand how the girls themselves and their environment influence their well-being and what can be done to promote it.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Varpu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wiens
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Helvi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kyngäs
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Tarja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pölkki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012924:Social Conditions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: content analysis; descriptive; gender; girl; well-being