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Preventive Medicine for AdolescentsA Hopeless Cause or a Research Challenge for Family Physicians?
Walter W. Rosser, MD
Arch Fam Med. 1994;3(7):579-580.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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IN THIS ISSUE of the ARCHIVES, Harper and Madlon-Kay1 describe an attempt to improve the response rate of adolescents aged 12 through 18 years to a mailed reminder to receive a second measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. The best response to the mailed letter to the parents of these adolescents resulted in only 6.3% of the adolescents receiving the vaccination within 2 months of notification. The authors were surprised at the low response rate since other trials using mailed reminders have improved the provision of a variety of preventive services in adults by 20% to 30%.
Examination of a randomized controlled trial2 that included the use of physician, mailed, and telephone reminders for five different preventive services, including a 10-year tetanus toxoid immunization and an annual influenza vaccination for individuals older than 65 years, provides further insight into the response of adolescents. The study demonstrated that people in their 20s were the
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
University of Toronto Ontario
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