SHEU data: #youngpeople and visiting the doctor #health
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SHEU : nationally-recognised, since 1977, as the specialist provider of reliable local survey data for schools and colleges |
Young People and visiting the Doctor
The Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU) have been talking to children adolescents teenagers, about their health and wellbeing, for over 30 years. The results from the Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire (HRBQ) are used by health and education authorities to inform their planning. Among the many topics that are explored in the surveys is the issue of visiting the doctor. As the HRBQ evolved, questions about visiting the doctor were asked in schools from the early 1980s. Responses from over 400,000 12-15 year olds cover issues about frequency of visits and feeling at ease. For example, Chart 1 shows results about the last visit to the doctor.
Chart 1. Responses, in 2011, from 12-15 yr. olds to the question: "How long ago did you last visit the doctor?"
Up to 51% report having visited their GP within the past 3 months and slightly more older females than males report going to their GP in the past 7 days/month. More older males than females report going to their GP in the last year and more than a year ago. Are the numbers going up or down? Table 1 shows that, since 1999, the percentage of those visiting the doctor in the past month remains consistent.
Table 1. Results, from 1999-2011, of those pupils visiting their doctor in the past month
|
Visit GP in past month |
1999 % |
2003 % |
2011 % |
| Yr 8 Male | 26 | 27 | 27 |
| Yr 8 Female | 28 | 26 | 26 |
| Yr 10 Male | 26 | 21 | 22 |
| Yr 10 Female | 31 | 29 | 28 |
Females have usually been visiting slightly more frequently than males. The differences are small with the exception of older pupils.
In the 1990s, an opportunity arose to check young people's reports of GP attendance. A practising doctor from Barnham was presented, at a meeting, with results of the HRBQ survey in West Sussex and thought that the rates shown for Year 8 and Year 10 pupils visiting the doctor were implausibly high. He immediately organised a check on his figures, and a colleague searched the computer files from the group practice. He was astonished to find that in his practice the GPs had seen 40% of their patients aged between 13 and 19 in the past three months, which fitted within the SHEU summary data for the whole District Health Authority (Letter from Dr Wallis, 1993, For the record, Education and Health, 11:1,13).
Do young people feel at ease with the doctor?
From 1993, the same set of HRBQ questions have asked if pupils felt at ease with the doctor on their last visit. There are four answer options: At ease; A little uneasy; Quite uneasy; Very uneasy. Chart 2 below show responses.
Chart 2. Responses, in 2011, from 12-15 yr. olds to the question: "On your last visit, did you feel at ease with the doctor?"
More males than females felt at ease on their last visit. Up to 22% of the females felt quite uneasy or very uneasy with the younger females reporting higher figures. This question has been asked since the early 1980s. Earlier surveys recorded the gender of the GP last visited, and suggested that both male and females pupils were more likely to be at ease with female doctors, who are of course in the minority. Table 2 below shows results, from 1991-2011, of those pupils who felt at ease with the GP.
Table 2. Results, from 1991-2011, of those pupils who, on their last visit, felt at ease with the GP
|
Visit GP felt at ease |
1991 % |
2001 % |
2011 % |
| Yr 8 Male | 64 | 57 | 52 |
| Yr 8 Female | 48 | 40 | 36 |
| Yr 10 Male | 65 | 59 | 59 |
| Yr 10 Female | 47 | 43 | 43 |
More males than females consistently report feeling at ease on their last visit. Are males less likely to admit to unease? The level of ease with the doctor could reflect general confidence with adults, or concern about the reason for the visit as well as the ability of the GP to create a relaxed atmosphere for the consultation. In previous results we have shown that those young people who say they were at ease with their GP on their last visit were also likely to have visited their GP more recently: At ease (whole sample): 50%; At ease (visited last week): 55%; At ease (visited last year): 48%. Are the more distant consultations remembered less warmly, or is there less opportunity to build up a positive relationship with a GP if consultations are so infrequent?
For details about the SHEU HRBQ please visit this link
See also -
There are a number of studies into young people and visits to the doctor including:
Young teenagers’ attitudes towards general practitioners and their provision of sexual health care
Developing adolescent services in general practice
Review of teenage health: time for a new direction
Report on consultation activities with children and young people about GPs and dentists The Care Quality Commission's report
Young people's views and experiences of GP services in relation to emotional and mental health A report from Right Here Brighton and Hove
Adolescents who are frequent attenders to primary care: contribution of psychosocial factors