Parental report of receipt of adolescent preventive health counseling services from pediatric providers

• Published in: Patient education and counseling Vol. 94; no. 2; pp. 269 - 275
• Main Authors: Akers, Aletha Y, Davis, Esa M, Jackson Foster, Lovie J, Morrison, Penelope, Sucato, Gina, Miller, Elizabeth, Lee, MinJae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.02.2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Adolescents; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Communication; Counseling; Counselling services; Female; Health Care Surveys; Health services; High risk; Humans; Internal Medicine; Logistic Models; Male; Mental Recall; Middle Aged; Outpatients; Parents; Pediatrics; Physicians; Prevention; Preventive health care; Preventive Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Primary prevention; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; Primary prevention; Health services; Adolescent; Counseling; Communication
• ISSN: 0738-3991; 1873-5134
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2013.10.003

Abstract Objective Little is known about prevention-focused counseling health providers deliver to parents of adolescents. This study compared parental report of discussions with their adolescents’ providers about a range of adolescent prevention topics. Methods Between June and November 2009, a questionnaire was provided to parents accompanying adolescents aged 11–18 on outpatient clinic visits. Parents indicated, anonymously, which of 22 prevention topics they remembered discussing with their adolescent's provider. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to identify correlates of parental recall. Results Among the 358 participants, 83% reported discussing at least one prevention topic. More parents reported discussing general prevention topics than mental health or high-risk topics (e.g. sex). Adolescent gender, visit type, having a usual source of care, and parental beliefs about their adolescents’ risk behaviors correlated with parental report of discussions about high-risk and mental health topics. Conclusion Most parents recalled discussing one or more topics with their adolescent's health provider. However, parental report of discussions about topics linked to significant adolescent morbidity was low. Practice implications Strategies to improve the frequency, timeliness and appropriateness of counseling services delivered to parents about adolescent preventive health are needed. Strategies that utilize decision support tools or patient education tools may be warranted.