Clinical and epidemiological characterization of adolescents admited at the Mario Catarino Rivas National Hospital

Abstract

Background: The adolescent period correspond to ages between 10 and 19 years. They demand educational, recreational, and laboral opportunities, and require answers regarding the access and use of health resources. Objective: To characterize clinically and epidemiologically the adolescents admitted to the National Hospital Dr. Mario Catarino Rivas (HNMCR) from july 2015 to september 2016. Patients and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 100 adolescents aged 12-17 years 11 months, admitted to HNMCR, sampling was for convenience. A survey of 19 questions was applied to 100 hospitalized adolescents. Results: They were in the middle adolescence 64%, they were from Cortes department 70%, lived with both parents 47% and with a single father 37%. It was found that 65% of adolescents perceive living in poverty, 63% of them study, 20% work and 17% are leisured. 70% have received sex education, 5% are parents, and 10% had sexually transmitted infections. And 41% have started active sex life. The pathologies for which they were admitted were: Traumatic accident 29%, Surgical pathology 21% and violence 13%. 43% had had suicidal thoughts. Conclusion: The situation of hospitalized adolescents in the HNMCR reffects the generality of this age group in Honduras, in which poverty plays an important role. Less than half live in integrated homes and only two-thirds of adolescents are in school.
Keywords
Adolescent, Epidemiology, Puberty