Teen Health Checks

Apologies in advance if this turns out to be a long rambling post. I mentioned in another post about how our local health authority seemed to have a real push on teenage health when I was growing up and it got me thinking about it a bit more.

I had a yearly examination from the age of about 10 I think with a few different doctors at our local practice..male and female

I know it was quite a local thing , and it seemed more focussed on girls than on boys. There were lots of posters in public places like libraries, and at school, and obviously at doctors surgeries.. usually depicting some smiling, healthy teen, and slogans that I don't remember..I remember one with an angst ridden girl and something like “You can talk to a doctor in confidence”

Where I lived was a very rural area..there really wasn't much to do for teenagers except hang out and get into trouble..lol…and there was quite a high rate of teenage pregnancy..I knew of 3 girls in my year at school…which I think is what this was really all about..(and probably STDs too) and so there was this big push on getting teens to the doctor and making sure they had all the relevant sexual health advice.

I was terrified of getting pregnant and at 15 years old I went on the bus to a larger town nearby where they had a “family planning clinic” and got the contraceptive pill..even though I wasn't actually having sex..just in case.. without my parents consent and with no real questions asked.

Didn't really know what section to post this in or if anyone would even find it interesting.

I suppose the question might be can anyone else remember these kind of health campaigns when you were young?

Hey Laura,

thank you for your Post. Here in Switzerland teenagers usually just Go to the Doctor when they are sick. So there were health campaigns for teenagers getting checked. These exams were usually very thorough and intimidating.

At the start of every school year, there was always a requirement that youth had physical exams and updated vaccinations in order to attend school. If one was out of compliance, a notice was sent home requiring that a parent or guardian make arrangements immediately or the youth would be denied admission by the end of the first month of school. An alternative was for the youth to be seen by the school doctor during a day at school. The exam was as thorough as one might get from a private doctor and didn't spare the youth from having to be vaccinated. I would say that there were a number of youth whose parents opted for this arrangement. Either way, the youth was to be examined and provide a report using a specific school issued health form that listed all aspects of the exam including shot history.

I remember a particular campaign around dental hygiene when I was at school, but that may not have been local. Other than that, there was monitoring of weight, and I remember a few, not many, being required to go on diets. We had annual medicals which must have monitored other issues of our health and development.

Hey, in Germany there are two checkups for teenagers. One is paid by every health insurance between 12 and 14 years, the second checkup between 16 and 18 years is only paid by some insurances or you can pay it by your own for about 60€. But only 30 to 40% uses this exams.

At the start of every school year, there was always a requirement that youth had physical exams and updated vaccinations in order to attend school. If one was out of compliance, a notice was sent home requiring that a parent or guardian make arrangements immediately or the youth would be denied admission by the end of the first month of school. An alternative was for the youth to be seen by the school doctor during a day at school. The exam was as thorough as one might get from a private doctor and didn't spare the youth from having to be vaccinated. I would say that there were a number of youth whose parents opted for this arrangement. Either way, the youth was to be examined and provide a report using a specific school issued health form that listed all aspects of the exam including shot history.

This all depends on the state in which you reside. Most states require a physical examination every few years, otherwise the focus is on vaccination status. If you participate in athletics (I ran Cross Country and LaCrosse) so an annual physical was the requirement. I had a few health challenges so I always had a complete physical with my own pediatrician during the summer months. It was far more comprehensive than a sports physical from what I understand.

One of several things that happened when I was young that sparked or fueled my medical fetish was that my school (elementary through high school, but especially grades 6 through 10) had a very close relationship with a large medical school. The med school ran our student health center and did school and sports physicals, etc. There were frequent initiatives like what you mention here. Posters up at school, especially near the health office and around the gym, about health, check-ups, and specific programs as well as handouts and mailings to parents about it all on a regular basis. I remember being both annoyed and weirdly turned on by things addressed to my parents that were either about promoting some health program or, on occasion, announcing something like a physical exam that was “mandatory.” Other people have posted similar announcements and FAQ handouts on this site, but one that stands out to me is one for a full physical exam that described for parents how it would be set up station-to-station and what boys and girls, respectively were to wear or not wear. One of them said something about “your son or daughter will be required to undress, but will be given something to wear as he/she moves between testing areas.” I don't know if it was the same handout/exam or a different one, but one handout mentioned that girls wear to wear a long, loose t-shirt but that boys “would not wear a shirt or undershirt during the process.”

I don't remember a health 'campaign' from when I was young but we did get a medical exam in school when I was around 5/6. The only things I remember about it were the female doctor listening to my heartbeat and then giving me paper and some crayons and asking me to draw a picture of something while she talked to my mum for what felt like ages. My mum told me I wouldn't get another exam in school until I was about to go to secondary school, but when that time came I never got a medical at all, nor did I have to go to the doctor outside of school for a yearly one. I think these things used to happen in England but I think I read in another post on here somewhere that they stopped doing all that because they were finding very little wrong with kids for the effort and cost involved. Don't know if that's true but I can believe it probably is.

I don't remember any health campaigns from when I was younger. Maybe a poster or two in school, around the nurses office or gymnasium. As an adult, I do remember seeing a few billboards and posters in mass transit and public transportations a few times though. There is one thing somewhat related to this that I do clearly remember…

I had my first sports physical when I was 10 years old from a school appointed doctor. Until that moment when the doctor told me to pull down my pants, I didn't realize nudity or genital exams were a possibility at the doctor's. The following year, my female pediatrician gave me my physical exam and I was mortified when my penis was once again on full display. The next year, when I was 12, I didn't play sports because I no longer felt comfortable going back to her. I was super embarrassed by it all, and by that time I was getting boners around the clock and was positive I would get one while she was examining me. By this time, anything to do with doctors or physical exams both fascinated and terrified me. I was reading anything I could get my hands on about male and female exams. I loved and hated it all. At 13, my desire to play football outweighed my fear about exposing myself, so I convinced my parents to switch me to their family medicine practice with a male doctor.

So, the one thing I clearly remember as a kid, was a sign this new practice had hanging up in the waiting room. It was just one of those cheap engraved plastic signs. It was titled something like, “Important Adolescent Exams”, and then listed an age and the exam one should receive during the younger years. The few that really got my attention and that I still remember were, something like “10 years old, prepubescent exam”. “16 yo, puberty exam (VERY IMPORTANT)”. “18 yo, first adult exam”. I'm guessing the ages listed were a general recommendation and not written in stone. But I remember freaking out reading that sign and wondering what exactly happened in those exams. How would they be different? I started wondering what would I be required to do. I also spent a lot time imagining all my classmates, and other kids I would see in the waiting room, having those exams, and getting really excited thinking about it.

Reading that sign gave me a boner. It remained through my entire physical exam, which was beyond mortifying. It didn't go away until I went home and masturbated. It is the only exam in my life that I've been completely hard. Hopefully it's also the last time that happens.

So, the one thing I clearly remember as a kid, was a sign this new practice had hanging up in the waiting room. It was just one of those cheap engraved plastic signs. It was titled something like, “Important Adolescent Exams”, and then listed an age and the exam one should receive during the younger years. The few that really got my attention and that I still remember were, something like “10 years old, prepubescent exam”. “16 yo, puberty exam (VERY IMPORTANT)”. “18 yo, first adult exam”. I

Imagine going to the receptionist checking in, and receptionist says, “Ah your son is scheduled for a puberty exam today. Nurse will call you shortly.” and everyone in the waiting room hearing what you are here for.