Adolescents report insufficient preventive health care in GP consultations: a qualitative study (2026)

Background: Adolescence is a period of empowerment and vulnerability that requires the early identification of risky behaviours to prevent them. Several prevention areas need to be addressed, including sexual health, mental health, substance use and addiction, diet, physical activity, orthopaedic disorders, vaccinations, screen use, and social relationships. Prevention plays an important role in primary care all over the world. Consultation between an adolescent and their GP can be complex. While there are professional recommendations, they rarely address all prevention areas.
Aim: To understand adolescents' experiences of preventive health care during consultations with GPs.
Design & setting: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with adolescents in France, aged between 11 years and 24 years.
Method: Individual interviews took place with 12 participants. Analysis was conducted based on grounded theory and triangulated for the identification of conceptualising categories.
Results: Twelve interviews led to the identification of the following three conceptualising categories: (1) prevention in adolescents is primary prevention and is multifaceted; (2) limited preventive involvement by the attending physician: adolescents seek information from other sources with varying influence on their behaviour; and (3) adolescents tend to justify GPs' limited preventive engagement.
Conclusion: Adolescents trust their GP. Despite the use of different prevention sources, not all recommended topics are discussed with adolescents. Leveraging the experiences of adolescents, we can confirm that GPs have to be more involved in preventive care during consultations with adolescents. These consultations are complex, and it is necessary to offer support tools for GPs and other primary healthcare professionals, based on the needs of adolescents. [Author's abstract]