Help-seeking behaviours, opportunistic treatment and psychological implications of adolescent acne: cross-sectional studies in schools and hospital outpatient departments in the UK

BackgroundAcne vulgaris (acne) is a common adolescent skin condition. It is associated with negative psychological impacts and sufferers do not easily seek help, hence is undertreated.ObjectivesWe investigated the self-reported prevalence, severity and psychological sequelae of acne, together with a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ open 2017-09, Vol.7 (9), p.e016964-e016964
Main Authors: Desai, Karishma Parimal, Martyn-Simmons, Claire, Viner, Russell, Segal, Terry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acne
Acne Vulgaris - psychology
Acne Vulgaris - therapy
Adolescent
Child
Clinics
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dermatology
Female
Help seeking behavior
Hospitals
Humans
Linear Models
Logistic Models
London
Male
Medical Publishing and Peer Review
Outpatients
Pediatrics
Primary care
Quality of Life
Questionnaires
Response rates
Schools
Self Report
Severity of Illness Index
Single sex education
Students
Teenagers
Tertiary Care Centers
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Summary:BackgroundAcne vulgaris (acne) is a common adolescent skin condition. It is associated with negative psychological impacts and sufferers do not easily seek help, hence is undertreated.ObjectivesWe investigated the self-reported prevalence, severity and psychological sequelae of acne, together with assessing help-seeking behaviour and its barriers, in separate school and hospital samples. We explored opportunistic treatment by paediatricians.MethodsSelf-reported survey with participants drawn from: (1) 120 adolescents aged 13–18 in a London tertiary paediatric outpatient department and (2) 482 adolescents from two London schools, aged 11–18. Adolescents confidentially and anonymously completed a questionnaire (paper or online) and those with acne completed the Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) questionnaire.Outcome measuresTo explore if acne is being addressed opportunistically in outpatient appointments and the behaviours associated with seeking help and psychological implications of acne.ResultsAcne prevalence was reported as 58.3% in the clinic and 42.3% in schools, with 34.3% and 20.6% of participants having moderate acne (MA) or severe acne (SA), respectively. The correlation between acne severity and CADI was significant (regression coefficient=4.86, p
ISSN:2044-6055
2044-6055
DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016964