More Youth-Friendly Health Services Needed - The Lancet

March 27, 2007

The present generation of young people face far more complex

challenges to health and development than their parents did - yet

the major health problems for young people are largely preventable.

However, most primary and secondary prevention mechanisms are

inadequate for this age group, and are not based on evidence and

best practice.

Two decades of research in developed and developing countries has

highlighted the barriers young people face in accessing health care.

Worldwide, initiatives are emerging that attempt to move these

barriers and help reach young people with the health services they

need.

Andre Tylee (King's College London, UK) and colleagues explore the

key models of youth-friendly provision, and review the limited

evidence for the effectiveness of these service models.

They point out that the focus for the future should be on

appropriate assessments of services designed for young people; the

involvement of young people in the design and testing of

interventions; and the support of a broader public-health response

to offer a favourable context in which these services can operate.

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