Preventive youth health care in 11 European countries: an exploratory analysis

OBJECTIVE: To systematically identify similarities and differences in the way preventive youth health care (YHC) is organized in 11 European countries. METHOD: Questionnaire survey to EUSUHM (European Union for School and University Health and Medicine) representatives. RESULTS: The greatest similarities were found in the age range of the YHC target group and the separation of curative and preventive services. Croatia, Germany and Switzerland show the greatest differences when compared to other European countries, for example, in the access to medical records, YHC professional input and the number of examinations, immunizations and screenings. In eight countries YHC is financed by national insurances or taxation. In Germany, FYR Macedonia, the Netherlands, Russia and Switzerland, different forms of financing exist in parallel. CONCLUSION: The results should be interpreted as a preliminary step in mapping organizational features of YHC in Europe.