title: Access to private and confidential health care among secondary school students in New Zealand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Private and confidential health care is an important indicator of the quality of health care for adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of health care utilization and private and confidential health care among a nationally representative population of high school students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-stage cluster sample of 9,107 students (grades 8-12, response rate 73%) from 96 New Zealand high schools (response rate 84%) participated in a 2007 health survey using Internet tablets. Questions included when and where they had accessed health care, if their health care provider had explained that their health care was confidential, and if they had been seen in private by their health care provider.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although 83% of students had accessed health care in the previous 12 months, only 27% of students reported receiving private and confidential health care. Students who had accessed health care from a school-based health center (adjusted relative risk [95% confidence interval] 1.54 [1.42-1.66]) or family planning/sexual health clinics (adjusted relative risk = 2.1 [1.9-2.26]) were more likely to report receiving private and confidential health care compared with students who had not accessed health care from these settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While most young people access health care from their family doctor or general practitioner's clinic, rates of private and confidential health care were low suggesting that opportunities to adequately explore and respond to important yet sensitive topics are compromised in primary care settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Paediatrics, School of Population Health, the University of Auckland, New Zealand. s.denny@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Denny
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Farrant
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cosgriff
authors.forename: Mo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Toby
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Viv
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: McNair
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Utter
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crengle
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: Shanthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameratunga
authors.forename: Janie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sheridan
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003219:Confidentiality; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data