ABSTRACT

The main objectives of this study are to characterize and to highlight lifestyles in migrant adolescents coming to Portugal from African countries, considering (1) adolescents', parents' and professionals' perspectives about risk and protective factors, and (2) adolescents' social context. A mixed methodology including quantitative and qualitative methods was used. For the purpose of the quantitative study, we included two groups: (1) adolescents at school (N= 919, mean age = 14.4 years old, SD = 2.1); and (2) adolescents that abandoned school (N= 118 adolescents, mean age = 16.7 years old , SD = 1.9). The Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey was used. We also carried out three focus groups with: (1) adolescents with an African background living in Portugal (N=26); (2) health and education professional that work with adolescents with African background (N=22); and (3) parents of adolescents with African background (N=6). Compared with adolescents who are in school context, adolescents that left school presented higher risk behaviours and more difficult relationship with their social network (family, peer group and community). The same pattern occurs when adolescents with African background are compared with Portuguese adolescents. Implications for health promotion in school and community context are discussed and recommendations are made.

KEYWORDS: adolescents, ethnicity, lifestyle, school, community, focus group.

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