Presentation of my BSc dissertation (UCL) findings at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health annual conference (2016). This was a mixed methods study assessing the feasibility of comprehensive and routine health screening in a UK (London) secondary school.

1. Exploring Young People’s
Attitudes towards Routine Health
Screening in a UK Secondary
School
Leah Kenny, Dr Nancy Bostock, Dr Aaron Parkhurst
University College London (UCL)

2. INTRODUCTION
• Adolescence: a neglected period
• Small-scale study
• Multifaceted screening tool
• Mixed methods research

3. • Acceptability of screening tool
• Identify barriers
• Inform future research
Research Aims

4. • 12% of UK population
• Least improvements in mortality trends
• Many deaths preventable & due to risky behaviours
– Co-occurrence of risky behaviours
• Adult deaths can be attributed to habits started in this
period (70% of deaths)
• UK - decline in teenage pregnancy, illicit drug use,
drinking & smoking
• BUT…
The Literature- Adolescent Health

5. • Young People rarely asked questions
• Study in Australia showed that opportunistic health
screening identified issues requiring intervention in 30%
of young people

6. • Screening prior to health visits - prioritize issues to
discuss
• Confidential space
• Multifaceted tools exist BUT limited by length
• Questions over the mode of administration
• School as place for screening
The Literature- Screening

8. • Screening prior to health visits - prioritize issues to
discuss
• Confidential space
• Multifaceted tools exist BUT limited by length
• Questions over the mode of administration
• School as place for screening
The Literature- Screening

9. • Contact with schools in London
• Informed consent forms to students & letters with opt-out
forms to parents
• Mixed methods approach
– Questionnaire
– Focus group Session
• Questionnaire designed (34Qs)
• Topics: general health, sexual health, drugs/substance abuse,
mental health, after school activities &diet
• Analysis
– Rstudio
– Thematic content analysis
Methods & Data Collection

10. • 134 Year 10 pupils
• 47% male, 53% female
• 65% ‘White British’
• Mental health - topic to discuss more
• Sexual health uncomfortable topic for average male and female
• Preference for doctors and parents
• No significant preference for mode of administration
• Health topics on a yearly basis – 52% agreed
• Males left more blanks
RESULTS- Questionnaire

11. Who Students Would Rather Discuss These Topics With

12. Females (%) Males (%)
(Strongly) Agree 62.5 38
Neutral 8.5 43
(Strongly) Disagree 27 16
Blank 2 3
‘I Would Like This to Take Place in School’
‘I would Like to Discuss These Topics Once
a Year’

13. • 12 students (6 male, 6 female)
• Honesty & Lying
• Confidentiality
– Judging & being ignored
• Getting something back
GIRL 1: Sometimes you fill things in and you don’t get
anything back
• Involvement in design
RESULTS- Focus Group

14. • Sample size, single site
• Uncertainty levels
• Majority White British
• School involved in ‘Healthy School Programme’
• Focus groups: Group dynamics, Silencing, Privacy
• Questionnaire: Design, Abstract questions, Blanks,
Data analysis
Limitations

15. • Comfortable with idea of annual screening
• School setting is acceptable (peers, teachers, school
nurse)
• Being involved
• Getting something back
• Males less likely to complete questionnaire
Summary

16. With thanks to:
• Supervisors- Nancy Bostock, Aaron Parkhurst
• The school
• The participants
Acknowledgements
1. Viner R, Barker M. Young people’s health: the need for action. Bmj. 2005;;330:901–3
2. Elster A, Blake D, Torchia M. Guidelines for Adolescent Preventive Services. UpToDate. 2015.
3. Resnick MD, Catalano RF, Sawyer SM, Viner R, Patton GC. Seizing the opportunities of adolescent health. Lancet. 2012 Apr 28;379(9826):1564–7
4. Olson A. Use of inexpensive technology to enhance adolescent health screening and counseling. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(2):172–7