There’s a particular kind of confidence a teenager has. Ask them if they’re healthy and they’ll tell you — usually with an eye roll — that they’re fine. They sleep when they want, eat when they can, and a “you should see a doctor” reminder lands about as well as a chore chart. So when the last time they were in a doctor’s office was “for a broken arm, like, forever ago,” it’s easy to let the annual checkup slide.
Here’s the thing, though. The annual checkup isn’t really about being sick. It’s about catching the stuff that hides — the things a teen can’t feel yet, and won’t for a while. And a lot of teens are missing it entirely.
According to the National Federation of Infectious Diseases (NFID), in a survey of more than 2,000 teens, two out of three said they have at least one reason for not getting an annual checkup — and about 60% pointed to a single reason. That’s not a rounding error. That’s potentially millions of US teens skipping the one visit that could flag a problem before it becomes one.
And the stakes aren’t theoretical. Teens aren’t just small adults going through a phase. They’re navigating real health issues — physical, emotional, and social — that often show up quietly: obesity, eating disorders, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases, along with things like high blood pressure, depression, and nutritional gaps that rarely cause a complaint until they’re loud.
“There’s a valley in our healthcare continuum, and two out of three teens surveyed said they have at least one reason for not getting an annual checkup,” says Susan J. Rehm, MD, NFID medical director. “If we understand why, we may be better equipped to address those perceptions.” (For the full survey and more on teen health, visit www.myteenshealth.com)
Why the checkup matters even when they insist they’re fine
Think of the annual visit like a tune-up you don’t wait for a breakdown to schedule. Most of what a teen is at risk for doesn’t announce itself. High cholesterol, early signs of diabetes, a heart rhythm issue, an infection — these quietly live in a body that otherwise feels great. That’s the whole point of screening: the doctor finds it before the body has to.
There’s also the part parents can’t do. For the first time, your teen gets to talk to a medical professional on their own — to ask the awkward questions about bodies, sex, mood, or substances without a parent in the room. That private time quietly changes what they’ll actually say. And it starts building a relationship with a doctor they can keep into adulthood, instead of a stranger they see only when something’s wrong.
Why teens say no — and what actually helps
They feel fine, so why go? They’re busy. They don’t like it. They’d rather not risk the awkwardness of a parent hearing everything. Some worry about cost or being woken from a nap. All of it is real, and arguing usually backfires. A few things that do help:
- Make it about them, not you. Frame it as their visit — their chance to ask their own questions and control the conversation. Teens respond to autonomy, not directives.
- Lead with what they care about. For some it’s the sports physical for the team; for others, the privacy to ask about acne, periods, or… the awkward stuff, without judgment.
- Be the example. If they see you keeping your own appointments and talking openly about your health, it stops being a punishment and starts being normal.
- Ask, don’t lecture. “What would make going easier for you?” opens a conversation that “you need to go” closes.
Be the prime example
The checkup isn’t a fine-weather thing. It’s the maintenance that keeps the “I’m fine” true for years longer — and catches the things that don’t wait. So this year, make the call. Talk to your son or daughter about it like the adult they’re becoming, be a prime example with your own health, and give them the gift of a doctor who knows them before they need one.
For the full NFID survey and more on teen health, visit www.myteenshealth.com
This post was sponsored.