Population-focused research: a broad-based survey of teens' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours

Population-focused research and practice is the cornerstone of community health nursing. A population group which is at significant risk for a number of health problems is adolescents. In this article, a report is given of a descriptive study of 2347 high school students, 15-19 years of age. These teens were largely from rural communities in the province of Newfoundland, Canada. They were surveyed to identify their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours in a variety of life spheres. Results show friendship to be of primary importance to teens. Family also plays a key role in their lives. Relationships with adults, in general, are troubled. Significant gender differences emerged: for example, males are more open than females to causal sex, are more likely to use alcohol and to be more physically active than females; females value family life more, and have more difficulty in the area of self-esteem than their male counterparts. Teens' attitudes reflect many values of Canadian society at large, such as hard work, success and the importance of a good education. The data from this study emphasizes the need for community health programs for teenagers which take into account key characteristics of this target group. This research is a model for compiling data on any population group in the community. Such a model is portrayed as an effective and efficient means of providing baseline information crucial to the delivery of health strategies with specific population groups in the community.