Prioritizing the Healthcare Needs of Adolescent Girls in Iran

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is an important and vital period in the human lifespan. Adolescent girls’ health is affected by special cultural and social factors; investing in their health requires careful planning and effective intervention. For any planning, accurate knowledge of their needs is necessary. Objective: This study aims to assess the healthcare needs of adolescent girls in Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 850 female students who were studying in first- and second-grade high schools in Rasht, Iran. They were selected using a multistage cluster sampling technique. In this study, a demographic form and the Female Adolescents Health Needs Questionnaire (FAHNQ) were used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS V. 21 software using descriptive statistics. Results: According to the participants, the top priority healthcare need was related to the emotional need (23.47±12.22%), followed by social (21.02±11.68%), educational (18.63±16.01%), physical (15.12±10.34%) and spiritual needs (13.86±11.99%). Conclusion: The decision-makers in the health sector should pay more attention to the emotional needs of adolescent girls to promote their primary health.