APPOINTMENT-KEEPING BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS - FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITHFOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT-KEEPING

Study objectives. To identify the sociodemographic and Health Belief M odel predictors of follow-up appointment-keeping behavior. Design. Pro spective observational study. Settings. General adolescent medical cli nic. Patients and measurements. Sequential sample of 166 adolescents ( aged 12 to 20 years, mean = 15.9 years) enrolled in the clinic. The po pulation was 75% female; the racial-ethnic distribution of the sample was 37.9% black, 29.8% white, 11.2% Asian, 14.3% Hispanic, and 6.8% '' other'' background. Subjects' social class was primarily lower-middle (60.5%) and middle class (28.6%). A sub-sample was randomly assigned t o be interviewed about their beliefs concerning their follow-up appoin tment and the constructs of the Health Belief Model. Results. Forty-ei ght percent of the total sample failed to keep their follow-up appoint ment. There was a significant positive correlation between social clas s and appointment keeping (F = 5.07; df = 5,110; P = .026). Neither ra ce-ethnicity nor who made the appointment were found to be associated with follow-up appointment-keeping. The only construct of the Health B elief Model found to be significantly associated with appointment keep ing was the number of potential negative outcomes resulting from nonco mpliance perceived by the subject (F = 6.85; df = 1,74; P = .011). Con clusions. Clinicians must work with adolescents to improve their under standing of the potential negative outcomes associated with noncomplia nce to improve appointment-keeping behavior.