Review : Adherence to health advice amongst young people with chronic illness

A literature review was undertaken to identify factors that may influence adherence to health advice amongst chronically ill young people. It emerged from the literature that internal and external factors influenced adherence in this client group. Internal influences were associated with adolescent biopsychosocial development and intra-personal dynamics. External factors were linked to interpersonal dynamics between the young person, family, peers, health care professionals and society as a whole. It is proposed that the difficulties in adherence to health advice were often due to 'adultist' beliefs. The implications of these findings are relevant to all health professionals involved in promoting health and in the development of approaches to promote 'young person-centred adherence.'