Health Topics & Information

Adolescent Health

11 - 21 years

Adolescent Well-Child Visit Screenings

SCREENING	TEST
Alcohol or Drug Use	Administer alcohol and drug screening tool
Anema	Hematocrit or hemoglobin
Cervical Dysplasia	Papanicolaou test, conventional slide or liquid-based
Dyslipidemia	Lipid screen
Hearing	Audiometry
Pregnancy (sexually active)	Urine hCG
STIs (sexually active)	Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV
Tuberculosis	Tuberculin skin test
Vision	Snellen Test

Source: Bright Futures

Adolescent Immunizations

11 – 12 years

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine (3 Doses)
Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine (MCV4) Dose 1

13-18 years

Tdap
HVP
MCV4 Dose 1 (Booster at age 16 years)

11-18 years

Influenza (yearly)
Pneumococcal Vaccine
Hep A Vaccine Series
Hep B Vaccine Series
Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) Series
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Series
Varicella Vaccine Series

These vaccines are recommended for all children/adolescents, unless doctor indicates otherwise. These vaccines should be given if a child/adolescent is catching-up on missing vaccines. These vaccines are recommended for children/adolescents with certain health conditions that put them at high risk for serious diseases. Note that healthy children/adolescents can get the Hep A series.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancies can and do happen. 3 in 10 girls will become pregnant by age 20. Unplanned pregnancies can dramatically change the lives of the families involved, sometimes leading to poverty, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and more unplanned pregnancies.

If you are a parent, you can help prevent a teen pregnancy in your family by starting with these steps:

Share your views with your children – About teens having sex, safe sex and preventing pregnancy.
Be real – Go beyond explaining basic facts and talk about the feelings and responsibilities sex involves. Discuss the difference between sex and love and how to say no under pressure.
Don’t worry about mixed messages – You can encourage virginity while still explaining what it takes to prevent pregnancy. More than half of teens surveyed want parents to discuss both abstinence and birth control, rather than one or the other.
Stay in charge – Establish rules and curfews and know who your children are hanging out with.
Show your love – Establish a close relationship with your children, so that your children will talk with you when they have questions and concerns.