1 in 5 students forgo medical treatment

Would the health of the students be threatened? EmeVia, a national network of student mutuals, publishes on Tuesday a survey concerning access to healthcare for our young people. Renunciation of care, reduced recourse to the attending physician, cessation of gynecological consultations, all these indicators are in the red among students!

The renunciation of care is on the rise
The survey conducted by the CSA Institute (1) reveals that 17.4% of students say they have given up health care for financial reasons in the last 6 months. A figure in clear increase since they were only 15% in 2011.
Moreover, it is women who pay the heaviest price because they give up more care than men (21.6% against 12%).

Gynecological consultations on the decline
Access to healthcare for students is markedly reduced because of the financial difficulties they experience. As proof, 49.5% of them declared feeling financial difficulties during the year. Some behaviors revealed in this survey are revealing of these difficulties.
53% of students say ato wait for their illness to pass. In addition, gynecological consultations among women continue to decrease from year to year (-4%). Finally, this medical care, which is becoming too expensive for our young people, encourages the practice of self-medication, which is on the increase among this population.

Are students healthier than other young people?
The vast majority of students say they are in good health. In its latest newsletter, the Observatoire de la Vie Etudiante specifies that ” more students perceive themselves to be in good health compared to the population aged 15 and over “. This difference results from the advantages enjoyed by the student subpopulation due to its characteristics, including “ their privileged access to information », Concludes the Observatory.

(1) Since 1999, emeVia has published every two years a health survey carried out among a sample of 50,000 students.