Health education: social representations of young people's concerns in Canada

Introduction: In Canada, statistics show that young people are increasingly affected by health problems. As a result, the curriculum has been adapted to include health education and to meet the need for special health programs. But what do we really know about adolescents' and pre-service teachers' perceptions of health problems? Methods: An exploratory study was conducted using open and closed questions among 296 young people and 307 pre-service teachers from New Brunswick and Quebec. Results: The data show that there were fewer differences between students and teachers in NB than between students and teachers in QC. Conclusion: The results provide a basis for considering the kinds of activities that need to be made available to young people.