Keywords
college students
health literacy
Abstract
Preventive healthcare is vital for promoting the long-term health of individuals. College students often underutilize such services associated with preventive healthcare in spite of increased autonomy and health risks that can emerge during early adulthood. This demographic of students represents a transitional population with increasing independence and unique health needs. Despite this, they exhibit persistently low engagement in preventive health services. This literature review synthesizes evidence on barriers to preventive care access and utilization among college students in the United States and similar high-income settings. Common barriers include lack of knowledge, perceived invulnerability, healthcare avoidance behaviors, cost and insurance gaps, confidentiality concerns, and systemic access issues. Understanding these multi-faceted barriers is essential to designing targeted interventions at individual, institutional, and policy levels that improve preventive care engagement and long‑term health outcomes among these emerging adults
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