Teen Health Screenings: Preventive Care for Adolescents

What You Need To Know About Teen Screenings For Health

Your child is getting older now and has entered their teen years. You are preparing them for their yearly wellness visit, but now that they are older, how do their wellness visits look?

The excellent medical staff, along with the four pediatricians at Johns Creek Pediatrics located in Cumming & Suwanee, GA, are awaiting your child's teen health wellness visit to answer any questions you might have regarding their health.

A Teen Well-child Visit Vs. A Regular Well-child Visit

Usually, during your child's yearly health visit with our pediatrician, we look at developmental milestones, targeting growth and development. We rate their height and weight at average percentiles with kids their age. We make sure any vaccinations are on time. 

But now that your child is growing from an early teen to a young adult, additional concerns should be addressed during their visits.

• Normally, during your child's wellness visit, you don't do a blood test, but as your teen nears adulthood, it wouldn't hurt to have blood work performed to check your child's baseline cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure. 
• Johns Creek Pediatrics, located in Cumming & Suwanee, GA,  says that you need to schedule your teenager's teen health visit as your child nears the age of eighteen. Prepare your teen for a one-on-one visit with our pediatrician. When they become of legal age, they will be handling their medical care independently, so feeling comfortable enough with our medical staff to talk about their health is essential for independence.
• We encourage frequent, frank discussions regarding mental health, tobacco and alcohol use, and reproductive health regarding protection from STDs and unwanted pregnancy.
• In addition to health screenings, your child should undergo a yearly mental health screening and, if needed, receive the appropriate counseling services. 
• If your child participates in sports, you should bring their sports physical paperwork to complete and return to their school.

A teen's yearly health visit becomes more involved as they reach 18. Speaking with your child about their health (mental and physical), school stresses, and pressures will create a safe space for your child to express themselves to you and their medical team.  

Schedule Your Teenager's Health Visit Today

Our staff of four pediatricians looks forward to talking with your teenager during their scheduled yearly wellness visit. Call Johns Creek Pediatrics at 770-814-1160 in Suwanee & Cumming, GA, for your teen's health screening. We look forward to a partnership in teen health for your child.