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 9 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 decision to set up an action group (Mediterranean Action Group on Adolescent Medicine - 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 personnel in the care of teens. Since the first workshop, membership in M.A.G.A.M. has increased. At present, the organization also has delegates from Turkey, Portugal, Oman, South Arabia, and Switzerland. To create a bridge across the Atlantic,
a delegate from the USA participated in the last two workshops; her paper on adolescent health in the United States is in press in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics . A brief description of adolescent health care in countries participating in the Ferrara M.A.G.A.M. workshop has been published recently, and a paper on obesity in adolescents living in Mediterranean countries has been submitted for publication to Pediatric Endocrinology in Review. Further activities of M.A.G.A.M. include its
constitution and regulation as a scientific society, contact with international and national
organizations involved in adolescent medicine, preparation of an internet web site, and the development of studies, diffused via the annual workshop and international medical journals. The next M.A.G.A.M. meetings will be held in Istanbul in 2004 (President: O. Ercan) and Lisbon in May 2005 (President: H. Fonseca). We hope that all the objectives of M.A.G.A.M. will be reached in the coming years and we are prepared to offer the results of our work to promote adolescent health in developing countries. Vincenzo De Sanctis on behalf of MAGAM President of the Italian Society for Adolescent Medicine (SIMA) and co-ordinator of Mediterranean Action Group for Adolescent Medicine (MAGAM)