title: Mobile outreach services for young people.
abstract: Camden & Islington Healthbus has been providing a mobile advice and information outreach service to young people aged 12-25 years in a deprived area of London since 1996. Advantages of this service include that it is free and confidential, it enables young people to access advice from adult professionals who are not part of their daily lives, and opening hours are flexible and convenient with a friendly and informal setting. The service focuses mainly on sexual health, but will also cover relationships, drugs, growing up, diet and nutrition, and self-esteem. The Healthbus does not offer a comprehensive range of services, but encourages young people to use other providers effectively. Initially, the Healthbus offered emergency and oral contraception and pregnancy testing, but these services have ceased due to limited use and data-protection requirements. The focus has since shifted to health education and risk awareness. Facilities include 1-1 counselling, a touch screen computer, leaflets and condoms. Informal evaluation has shown that young people feel comfortable and confident in using the Healthbus service. A notable success has been that the Healthbus attracts as many young men as young women. A number of practical issues should be taken into consideration when planning and managing a mobile outreach service.
authors.affiliation: Islington Primary Care Trust, Health Promotion Service, 4 St Pancras Way, London NW1 0PE, United Kingdom. julie@healthbus.demon.co.uk
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edgecombe
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D000328:Adult; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D008952:Mobile Health Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012736:Sex Education / Q000379:methods*