Doctors Don’t Talk to Teens

According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, Physicians are not talking with teens about good health behaviors as often as they should.

“Preventive care is a crucial element of quality primary care for adolescents,” Dr. Sally Adams, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. Most causes of sickness and death in adolescents can be prevented. Plus, “many of the health and lifestyle behaviors established during adolescence have long-standing health effects across the entire lifespan,” the researchers point out.

In fact, personally, I don’t remember my doctors ever talking to me about my health care when I was younger, mainly because my parents were always in the room. If I was alone, would my Pediatrician or Physician have talked to me about more personal things like sex or alcohol? I doubt it.