Health Services for Teens

Teens in the United States are less likely than younger children and adults to receive recommended preventive health services in general. Schools can play a critical role in facilitating the delivery of health services to teens, including sexual health services (SHS). Although teens are generally healthy, sometimes they engage in sexual behaviors that put them at risk for certain health outcomes, such as HIV, STDs, and pregnancy. For instance, in 2014, young people (13–24) accounted for an estimated 22% of all new HIV infections in the United States,¹ and nearly half of the 20 million new STDs reported each year.² Among U.S. high school students surveyed in 2015, 41% had ever had sex and 43% of sexually active students did not use a condom the last time they had sex.³ Additionally, although teen pregnancy rates have declined consistently during the past 25 years, the rates of unintended pregnancy still remain high. One way to prevent HIV, STDs and pregnancy among teens is to increase their access to and use of SHS, including HIV testing, contraceptive counseling, gonorrhea and chlamydia testing and treatment, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.^4,5

Several national guidelines for preventive care specifically include recommendations for SHS for teens. Despite these official guidelines and recommendations, teens may not seek or have access to recommended SHS. For instance, in 2015, only 10% of sexually experienced students reported having ever been tested for HIV,³ and a recent online survey of young people found that only 7% of 15-19 year olds had been tested for STDs in the previous year.⁶

Schools can help increase student access to health services

Schools have direct daily contact with more than 16.5 million students attending grades 9-12, making schools vital partners in connecting teens to health services.

School districts can help teens access SHS either through on-site school services or by referrals to youth-friendly health care providers in the community. Many U.S. schools already have healthcare service infrastructure in place, including school-based health centers (SBHCs) or school nurses, and can play an important role in providing adolescents access to information to help reduce their risk and to services if they are needed.