[Perceived health survey of 3,800 French adolescents: methodological aspects]

An epidemiological survey was carried out by a local association network and was developed in partnership with regional and national institutions. The survey on well-being and health was conducted over an 18-month period in the French department of Charente. The purpose of the research was to test the hypothesis that "the change in context that is experienced by adolescents at the end of junior high school and at the beginning of high school leads to an increase in risky behaviours". To this end, the survey questioned 3,800 young people on a random basis, mixing those from different grades, those participating in vocational training and apprenticeships, and those from public and private schools. The accomplishment of this survey was made possible thanks to the motivation of a pre-existing strong local network organised and linked to education professionals, the technical contribution of the region's health observatory who conducted the statistical analysis of the data, and the assistance of Unit 472 of the French Institute of Health and Medical Research who provided scientific supervision and advice. The high participation rate and quality of the data (comparable with and even better than some existing studies) demonstrate that it is possible for local associations to carry out effective epidemiological surveys based on the needs keenly felt by the workers themselves, within the scope of a reasonable budget and in a short time span without sacrificing the precision demanded by the scientific method.