Getting into Adolescent HEADS!
The HEADS survey is a useful clinical tool to screen for adolescent generic health and psychosocial issues in clinical consultations.
H
- Home (Relationships, social support, household chores)
E
- Education (School, exams, work experience, career)Are you at school? What year are you in? What is your favorite subject?
- Exercise (General)How do you keep fit? What about dancing, martial arts…
A
- Activities (Peers)What do you do for fun? What do you do with your friends?
- AffectMany young people feel down or sad at times. When did you last feel like this?Have you ever felt that life is not worth living?
- AmbitionsWhat do you want to do when you leave school?
D
- Dental Care
- Diet (Calcium, vitamin D, weight, caffeine)
- Driving
- Drugs, cigarettes, alcoholSome young people experiment with cigarettes and alcohol. In your year at school, do people smoke, drink, or use illicit drugs? What about your friends?And you?
S
- Sex (Concerns, periods, contraception)Most young people become more interested in closer relationships at your age.Do you have close friends? Have you ever been sexually active?
- SleepAdapted from: Goldenring JM, Cohen E. Getting into adolescent heads. Contemp Pediatr 1988