As children get to high school and transition to adulthood, they face a critical period of vulnerability, when serious relationships begin, new jobs start and environments shift.

“These life changes can have physical and mental health impacts,” notes Children’s Center pediatrician Arik V. Marcell, an adolescent medicine specialist. 

Unfortunately, it’s also a period when many young people begin to skip yearly wellness visits with a pediatrician or other primary care provider, according to a new study he led, which used data on adolescents and young adults (AYAs). The findings are concerning, he notes, since “attending yearly wellness visits is an opportunity to screen and provide care for risky or dangerous behavior, including drug use.” 

The study, co-led by fellow Morayo Akande and published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, analyzed data for both male and female AYAs gathered from the NEXT Generation Health Study, which was designed to track health outcomes by following the same young people for seven years, starting from ages ranging from 15 to 23.

Researchers tracked how often the young people got yearly checkups and what factors contributed to them continuing or not continuing to go.

Results showed that a majority of both males and females were found to be “engaged,” meaning they received a yearly wellness visit. However, more than 30% of males and nearly 20% of females became disengaged as they got older. This is worrying, Marcell says, since these young people will have fewer opportunities to get preventive care during a period when engaging in riskier behaviors begins or escalates, including behaviors related to drug use and sexual activity.

The study also found that about 13% of girls and young women “gradually reengaged,” meaning that during the seven years of tracking, they tended to go back to a primary care doctor. Marcell says that girls and young women have more health-related concerns and “touchpoints” that may lead them to make a wellness appointment — including changes in menstrual cycles, the need for birth control, or concerns about pregnancy — than do boys and young men.

Noting that attention to health care is a learned behavior, Marcell recommends parents teach their children how to make a primary care checkup appointment.