Demand for health services or professionals among Brazilian adolescents according to the National School Health Survey 2015.

INTRODUCTION

Knowing the profile of individuals who demand health services or professionals could help in the improvement and reorganization of services. However, this subject is still underexplored among adolescents. This study aimed to describe and identify characteristics related to the demand for health services or professionals by Brazilian students.

METHODS

Using data from the 2015 National School Health Survey, the prevalence and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of the demand for health services or professionals among students were estimated, and Poisson regression adjusted by age and region of residence was used to identify the associated factors.

RESULTS

More than half of the students demanded for health services or professionals in the last year, with a higher demand among females. The characteristics associated with the outcome were sociodemographic (female, white, private school), family (maternal schooling of 12 years or more, having meals with parents/guardians and parents' knowledge of the adolescent's activities in their free time), risk behaviors (alcohol consumption and sexual intercourse without a condom) and health-related issues (physical violence, wheezing, toothache, hygiene habits, and attitude to one's own weight).

CONCLUSION

Organizing health services in a way that takes the particularities of this population into account may provide a space to deal with subjects related to the risks to which it is exposed.