This study's objective was to identify the main behavioral and emotional problems perceived by adolescents attending an outpatient service. A total of 320 adolescents were included in the study. The respondents were not undergoing psychotherapy and self-applied the Youth Self Report in the ambulatory's waiting room. The main problem reported was Anxious/Depressed. Male adolescents obtained higher scores for Social Problems and lower scores for Delinquent Behavior, while females obtained lower scores for Somatic Complaints and higher scores for the Anxious/Depressed scale. Social Problems were associated with the initial phase of adolescence. In terms of incidence, less than one quarter of the adolescents presented problems, suggesting that adolescence is not a period of turbulence. Some adolescents require a more detailed evaluation because they reported behaviors indicative of mental disorders. We conclude that there is a need for mental health workers to integrate the health staff providing care to adolescents. Keywords Estudio de Problemas Conductuales/Emocionales en una Clínica para AdolescentesResumen: El objetivo del estudio fue identifi car los problemas comportamentales y emocionales notados en adolescentes que frecuentan una clínica de salud. Participaron 320 adolescentes, que no estaban en psicoterapia y que respondieron, en la sala de espera, de una clínica de salud, al Youth Self Report. El principal problema relatado fue Ansiedad/Depresión. Los niños obtuvieron califi caciones más altas en Problemas Sociales y más bajas en Comportamiento Delincuente; las niñas se presentaron con menos problemas en el grupo Problemas Somáticos y con más problemas en Ansiedad/Depresión. En lo referente al rango de edad, se observó que Problemas Sociales estuvieron asociados al inicio de la adolescencia. En lo referente a la incidencia, menos de un cuarto de los adolescentes se presentaron con problemas, sugiriendo que la adolescencia no es un periodo de turbulencia. Se observó que algunos adolescentes necesitan una evaluación más detallada, pues relataron comportamientos indicativos de trastornos mentales. Se concluye que existe la necesidad de que profesionales de salud mental integren el equipo de salud que atiende a adolescentes.Palabras clave: adolescentes, trastornos de la conducta, servicios de salud pública, ansiedad depresiva, salud

The objective of this study was to assess the degree of concordance between two popular classification systems [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-2000 and the Institute of Medicine (IOM)-2009] used to categorise the nutritional status of pregnant adolescents. This cross-sectional study involved 327 pregnant adolescents (10-19 years) booking for antenatal care at a single public maternity in São Paulo, Brazil. Participants were classified into one of four categories, by both systems according to their pre-pregnancy body mass index and age. The CDC-2000 system classified significantly fewer pregnant adolescents as underweight (3.7% vs. 12.5%, P < 0.0001) and significantly more adolescents as normal-weight (86.8% vs. 75.6%, P = 0.0003) than the IOM-2009 system. The distribution of the adolescents in the two systems differed significantly. The global rate of discordance was 13.5%. The overall concordance between the two systems was marginally good (K = 0.63), being moderate for younger (<16 years) adolescents (K = 0.52). Approximately one in every seven pregnant adolescent would be classified in a non-corresponding category if the IOM-2009 classification was used instead of the CDC-2000 classification. The IOM-2009 nutritional classification, which does not take into account age and gender, tends to overestimate the proportion of underweight adolescents, especially in the younger-age group. The use of this classification system can lead to recommendations of higher gestational weight gain in a substantial proportion of pregnant adolescents, which could predispose to post-partum weight retention and future obesity.

Objective To evaluate serum levels of adiponectin in pregnant adolescents between 30 and 36 weeks of gestation. Method: A prospective cross-sectional study enrolled 67 normal pregnant women between 30 and 36 weeks of gestation and eutrophic (body mass index [BMI]: 18.5–25 kg/m2), of which 36 were adolescents (< 20 years old) and 31 adults (≥ 20 years old). Serum adiponectin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The t-student or Mann-Whitney tests were used for intergroup comparison. Results Pregnant adolescents showed significantly higher serum adiponectin concentrations compared with pregnant adults (p = 0.04). No differences were observed in adiponectin levels in younger pregnant adolescents (< 16 years old) compared with older pregnant adolescents (≥ 16 years old). Adiponectin values were divided into 3 subgroups: < 3,000 ng/mL, between 3,000 and 5,000 ng/mL, and > 5,000 ng/mL. Birthweight was significantly higher in women > 5,000 ng/mL when compared with < 3,000 ng/mL in the adolescent group. No association between pregestational adiponectin levels and BMI, gestational weight gain, and gestational age was observed; however, there was a positive relation with birthweight (p = 0.0239). Conclusion Serum adiponectin values in pregnant adolescents between 30 and 36 weeks of gestation were higher compared with pregnant adults; however, no differences between younger and older pregnant adolescents were observed.

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