Health concerns of adolescent girls

An anonymous self-report questionnaire designed to assess adolescent girls' health concerns was administered to 1,416 female students in grades 7-10 from 38 schools in northwestern Ontario. Results indicated that the future and items of appearance were of the highest level of concern in the sample. Factor analysis of the 27 concern items produced grouping of concerns into four factors: risk-taking behavior, appearance, health promotion/future orientation, and psychological functioning. Comparison of the four factors across grades revealed that concern about risk-taking behavior and psychological functioning did not change; concern about health promotion/future orientation issues decreased as the grade increased; and concern about appearance increased as the grade increased. It is anticipated that the grouping of concerns and differences by grade revealed in this study will assist in designing pertinent health programs to interest and motivate the teenage female population.