Parent and Adolescent Views on Barriers to Adolescent Preventive Health Care Utilization

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Preventive Care
• Healthcare Access

Background:

• Annual preventive care is vital for adolescent well-being.
• Understanding barriers from both adolescent and parent perspectives is crucial for effective healthcare strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and compare barriers to annual adolescent preventive care as perceived by adolescents and their parents.
• To inform interventions aimed at improving uptake of preventive health services.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study surveyed 500 adolescents (13-18 years) and 504 parents on preventive care utilization and perceived barriers.
• Data collected included demographics, family health discussions, health importance, and specific barriers to care.

Main Results:

• While a majority reported recent visits, adolescents identified more barriers than parents.
• Common barriers for both groups included the belief that care is only needed when sick and cost concerns.
• Adolescent-specific barriers included parents not scheduling visits, while parent-specific barriers included the belief that checkups are unnecessary.

Conclusions:

• The Affordable Care Act may help mitigate some barriers to preventive care.
• Significant parental and adolescent-specific barriers to preventive services persist and require targeted interventions.