Characteristics of adolescent friendly health services

Whether services are provided in a clinical setting, in a youth centre or at a workplace or through outreach to informal venues, certain youth–friendly characteristics are essential to effective programs, such as specially trained providers, privacy, confidentiality, and accessibility.

Results: Individual factors such as self-esteem were associated with general health, physical activity and healthy eating. However, the influence of family, peers, school and local community appear to be equally important for these outcomes and more important for smoking, medicine use and healthy weight.

Youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services are services or clinics that deliver a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health services in ways that are responsive to the specific needs, vulnerabilities and desires of young people. This is what we have called Meaningful Youth Participation.

Reproductive services that are accessible to, acceptable by and appropriate for adolescents and young people are called adolescent– and youth–friendly reproductive health (AYFRH) services. The characteristics of AYFRH services relate to the service providers, the health facility itself, and the programme design.

Each youth–friendly corner is a private space set apart from the rest of the health facility where young people can freely come and go without worrying about adult interactions.

For example, a youth friendly corner was created in health centres to provide a place for young people to get information about their health, treatment and to get psychosocial support.

The five leading characteristics of adolescence are biological growth and development, an undefined status, increased decision making, increased pressures, and the search for self.