Study Finds Less Than One-third of Adolescents Report Having Conversations About Sexual Health With Doctors

A new study has found that a majority of adolescents and parents considered health care provider discussions about puberty, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and birth control important, but less than one-third of adolescents reported having discussions about such topics, other than puberty, at their most recent preventive visit. The study, “Sexual and Reproductive Health Discussions during Preventive Visits,” which will be published in the August 2021 issue of Pediatrics (published online July 12), used data from a national internet survey of 11-17-year-old adolescents and their parents. The full sample consisted of 1,005 parent-adolescent dyads. At their most recent preventive visit, 14% of younger adolescents and 38.7% of older adolescents reported that providers asked about their sexual activity. Of potential sexual and reproductive health topics, provider-adolescent discussions about puberty were the most common. Less than one-third of adolescents reported a provider discussing any other sexual and reproductive health topic. Preventive visits are an opportunity for adolescents to receive screening, important education and guidance related to sexual and reproductive health, the authors note.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.