The Pan American Health Organization -- the World Health Organization's regional office for the Americas -- has released a mobile health application that aims to help public health workers track the health, fitness and safety of adolescents, MobiHealthNews reports.
The iPhone and iPad app -- called eGSHS -- was launched last week at the ninth Regional Congress on Health Sciences in Washington, D.C.
The eGSHS app is a mobile version of the Global School-based Student Health Survey, which has been used since 2003 to monitor the health behaviors of students ages 13 to 15 in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas.
CDC said the survey -- which it helped design -- aims to help countries create policies for youth health programs. The survey monitors behavior related to:
- Alcohol consumption;
- Diet;
- Drug and tobacco use;
- Hygiene;
- Mental health;
- Sexual and reproductive health; and
- Violence and unintentional injuries.
The mobile app version of the survey will let users:
- Visualize and share survey results with colleagues and public health officials; and
- Compare data across different populations and regions (Versel, MobiHealthNews, 10/31).