Letter to the Editor
Mediterranean and Middle East Action Group for
Adolescent Medicine (M.A.G.A.M.): Origins,
development and aims
To the Editor:
My colleagues and I read with great interest the article
by Bennet and Tonkin on international developments in
adolescent medicine [1]. We would like to offer our own
contribution to the field by sharing our recent experience
regarding the establishment of the Mediterranean and
Middle East Action Group on Adolescent Medicine
(M.A.G.A.M.).
On the 7th and 8th of September, 2001, the Pediatric
and Adolescent Unit of Arcispedale S. Anna of Ferrara
(Italy) and the Italian Society for Adolescent Medicine
(S.I.M.A.) organized a workshop with selected delegates
from nine Mediterranean countries (Cyprus, Egypt,
France, Greece, Israel, Iran, Italy, Jordan, and Spain) in
order to promote the theory and practice of adolescent
medicine in this region.
The workshop provided a unique opportunity to learn
about the health issues of adolescents living in partici-
pating countries and to meet general pediatricians, pedi-
atric endocrinologists, and experts in chronic diseases
from the Mediterranean area who devote their profes-
sional activities to these youth.
The decision to set up an action group (M.A.G.A.M.)
to continue the momentum that originated in Ferrara was
discussed further and developed during the two following
annual meetings of S.I.M.A. that took place in Catanzaro
October 26th, 2002 and Castiadas–Cagliari October 25th,
2003.
Despite the variability in health services among the
different nations, common concerns have been identified.
These include the promulgation of adolescent medicine
as a distinct field, the organization of health services
specifically for adolescents, and the education of person-
nel in the care of teens.
With these concerns in mind, we have drawn up the
following objectives for M.A.G.A.M.:
(a) to examine the current status of adolescent health
in the Mediterranean area
(b) to investigate intervention and prevention pro-
grams in Mediterranean countries and to evaluate
their effectiveness
(c) to attract the attention of physicians to adolescent
health in the Mediterranean countries and to in-
crease their sensitivity in this respect by organiz-
ing educational programs
(d) to initiate and support in many Mediterranean
countries the development of programs to enable
physicians involved in the care of adolescents to
adequately address and manage the health needs of
their patients
(e) to promote professional organization with a pri-
mary interest in the health and well being of
adolescents.
Since the first workshop, membership in M.A.G.A.M.
has increased. At present, the organization also has del-
egates from Turkey, Portugal, Oman, South Arabia, and
Switzerland. To create a bridge across the Atlantic, a
delegate from the United States participated in the last
two workshops; her article on adolescent health in the
United States was published in the Italian Journal of
Pediatrics [2].
A brief description of adolescent health care in coun-
tries participating in the Ferrara M.A.G.A.M. workshop
has been published recently [3], and an article on obesity
in adolescents living in Mediterranean countries has been
submitted for publication to Pediatric Endocrinology in
Review [4].
Further activities of M.A.G.A.M. include its constitu-
tion and regulation as a scientific society, contact with
international and national organizations involved in ad-
olescent medicine, preparation of an Internet web site,
and the development of studies, diffused via the annual
workshop and international medical journals.
In this regard, M.A.G.A.M. will publish papers [5]
and statements in the official Journal of the Italian So-
ciety for Adolescent Medicine (R.I.M.A.), which will
serve as a forum for discussion of teaching, research,
and other topics of mutual interest to M.A.G.A.M. mem-
bers.
Journal of Adolescent Health 36 (2005) 160 –161
1054-139X/05/$ – see front matter © 2005 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.