Although preventive care is important for people of all ages, most young adults do not receive regular preventive services like screenings. Young adulthood is a crucial time for preventive screening since serious conditions can be avoided or managed better when identified early. Colleges and higher education institutions can improve preventive care on campus by leveraging at-home healthcare to help students access care and treatment efficiently.
LetsGetChecked’s at-home healthcare programs increase engagement in preventive care by meeting students where they are. Our virtual healthcare solutions reduce waiting times, increase access to quality care, and connect students to the information and support they need to achieve optimal health, academic success, and well-being.
What is preventive care?
Preventive healthcare is care that helps prevent health problems or identifies them before they become more serious chronic conditions. Examples of preventive care include annual check-ups, immunizations, and certain tests and screenings. Preventive health screenings are one of the most important healthcare strategies to enable early diagnosis and treatment, improve health outcomes and well-being, and prevent premature death. When diseases are recognized in their early stages, people can receive the right treatment and interventions to improve longevity and quality of life.
Why preventive care is important for young adults
Many conditions that happen later in life get started when people are younger. In many cases, these health problems are largely preventable with the appropriate preventive screening and intervention. Young adulthood is an age not only of opportunities but also of risks that can impact lifelong health and wellness. The college campus offers an ideal opportunity to educate and encourage young adults to engage in wellness practices and get screened for early signs of untreated illness. Keeping young adults as healthy as possible during this critical stage of life will enable more positive pathways into later adulthood.
Increasing care access is crucial since young adults are the least likely age group to be insured or have a usual source of healthcare [1]. Even when young adults receive primary care services, they infrequently receive preventive health care. Screening rates in areas critical to morbidity and mortality in young adults, such as sexually transmitted infections, are especially low. One national sample analysis indicated that almost 70% of visits by young adults to primary care clinicians did not include any preventive counseling [2].
Increasing access to preventive screening on college campuses
Young adults often face multiple roadblocks to obtaining high-quality preventive services due to a lack of insurance, regular sources of primary care, or health literacy. Fortunately, colleges and higher education institutions can provide students with the accessible, high-quality testing and treatment they need with at-home healthcare programs. One of the most important preventive services for young adults on college campuses is STD screening. In the United States, sexually active youth and young adults between the ages 15-24 account for half of all new cases of STDs each year [3]. Despite the disproportionate burden on this population, many young adults do not seek the necessary healthcare services to diagnose and treat STDs. Leveraging at-home STD tests and treatment on college campuses can help more young adults overcome access and stigma-related challenges, preventing disease development and transmission to others.
LetsGetChecked has partnered with higher education institutions and colleges to provide students with accessible preventive care and treatment. Our at-home healthcare solutions are convenient and easy to use, encouraging students to proactively manage their health to stay healthy, engaged, and on the graduation path. With over 30 tests and treatment options to integrate into your care offering, we can customize the right solution to meet your student population’s unique needs.
