Teen Health: Importance of Annual Doctor Visits

A popular slogan when it comes to healthcare is, “Prevention is better than a cure.” Early detection significantly improves the chances of surviving serious illnesses like cancer and diabetes—both disproportionately affect our community. That’s why scheduling annual doctor visits is so important, especially during the teen years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s health statistics for children, from 2019 to 2023, more Black children under 18 years visit doctors annually for any reason compared to white children. While this may seem encouraging, a closer look reveals a gap in preventive care: fewer Black families schedule annual wellness visits specifically for their teens. This missed opportunity in teen health—regular checkups can catch potential issues early and establish lifelong healthy habits.

The importance of annual doctor visits for Black teens

Adolescence is usually a time when risky behaviors—like having unprotected sex and substance abuse—feel like having fun. Routine annual doctor visits make it easier to monitor our teens’ physical, mental, and sexual development for potential health concerns. Some of the reasons why Black parents should prioritize preventive doctor visits include:

1. Helps in the early detection of potential lifelong conditions

High blood pressure and blood sugar lay the foundation for more serious terminal diseases like chronic heart disease and diabetes. They may not always show obvious signs at the early stages. However, through annual doctor visits, these conditions can easily be detected for timely treatment that would prevent future protracted and severe complications.

2. Monitoring physical, mental, emotional, and sexual development

Adolescents undergo rapid physical and mental changes as they hit puberty. From anxiety to mood swings and other emotional challenges, teenagers need a safe and confidential space to track and talk about these changes with a professional and receive support.

3. Staying up-to-date with life-saving vaccines

Vaccines prevent several diseases that spread easily among children and teenagers. Routine doctor visits will help to ensure teenagers are up-to-date with their vaccinations as well as educate them on healthy behavior and lifestyles, including exercise, diet, and safe sex practices.

4. Early detection of injuries

Teenagers will not always report minor injuries, especially if they share a troubled relationship with their parents. These injuries can get worse if left untreated and become infected. Healthcare professionals can easily catch these injuries during annual checkups.

What to include in Black teens’ annual health checks

Parents may struggle to find the perfect time to schedule doctor visits for their teens. Elevate Black Health recommends summer break because it is usually the longest school break in the United States and most parts of the world. Since an extended break may lead to boredom and lure teens into risky health behaviors, scheduling a doctor’s visit during this period can be a strategy to keep teens’ lifestyles in check.

Physical examination of different parts of the body, vital signs check, allergies, lifestyle, medical history, and medication are some of the areas the doctor will likely check during your visit. Parents or guardians should go the extra step of being intentional about a doctor’s visit by tailoring them to be preventive, preparatory, and for guidance, as outlined below.

Preventive doctor visits

In preventive doctor visits, the focus should be on checking vitals like blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate that can reveal signs of future troubles. Mental screening will help to detect depression and anxiety, which are usually common in adolescents. These schedules should also be used to ensure the teen is up-to-date with their vaccination cards. Extra vaccine consideration should be made for teens traveling during the summer holiday.

Preparatory doctor visits

If you have a teen who is interested in participating in school sports, they need a preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE). Your doctor’s visit may be the time to ask the doctor to screen them to see if they are fit to participate in the sports they desire. Your doctor may be able to convince them to change their choice of sports if they fail the fitness assessments. Teens will likely better accept professional guidance than when it comes from their parents, and feel like a clampdown.

Doctor visits for guidance

The human body experiences drastic changes during puberty, which the parents may not be able to properly explain, especially if they are not educated themselves. Black parents can rely on physicians during visits to properly explain these changes and provide sexual guidance to their teens who have become sexually active.

The economic struggles of many Black families may make it harder for us to prioritize annual doctor visits for our teens. We advise parents in our community to try local health clinics for free or subsidized screening, if cost is the problem. Alternatively, subscribing to telehealth can help break the cost and access barriers to healthcare. Scheduling annual doctor visits can also be our way of teaching our children to normalize healthcare and make it a necessity rather than dread it. Also, this can be a way of empowering and teaching them about long-term wellness. Indirectly, we will be building a healthier community.

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