Self-perceived health problems and demand for health services in adolescents in Jiading District of Shanghai City

Objective To investigate the adolescent self-perceived health problems during development and their demand for service needs of health care,thus enhancing the healthy level of adolescents.Methods A questionnaire survey, focusing on self-perceived physiological health and demand for health service, was conducted among 1 555 adolescents aged 10-18 and 1 482 parents in Jiading District.Results The incidence of self-reported frequent physiological problems within one year was 77.8%. A total of 51.7% students felt confused with changes in sexual characteristics during puberty. The rate of self-perceived reproductive system symptoms was 16.9%. Prevalence of self-reported early/late puberty timing was 5.3%, while few students were seeking help towards these health issues.Conclusion The health service needs of adolescents are versatile, and there is a glaring discrepancy in different feature groups. Medical and health care institutions need to think deeply of how to timely and effectively provide adolescent health services and improve the quality of care in practice.