title: Use of health services by ninth grade adolescents in rural Mississippi.
abstract: Rural Mississippi adolescents have not been surveyed regarding their use of health services. Prior to Hurricane Katrina we found that at least 43% of ninth grade students in Hancock County received healthcare in the previous three months, but a third had no regular place of care. Students (37%) did not seek health care that they needed with two-thirds of them feeling that the problem would go away. They minimally used the school clinics that varied considerably in availability. Strikingly, at that time, over 20% reported serious emotional/mental health problems for which they did not seek care and nearly 15% had problems for which they had sought professional help. This information highlights the need to encourage students to seek and have access to services.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond 70402, USA. judithyo@bellsouth.net
authors.forename: Judith Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Bradford
authors.forename: Patricia S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008922:Mississippi; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires