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Medical checkups: who does not get them?
Dan Culica1, James Rohrer, Marcia Ward
1Southwestern Medical Center Program, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., V8.112N, Dallas, TX 75390-9128, USA. dan.culica@utsouthwestern.edu
American Journal of Public Health
|January 5, 2002
Summary
This study identified factors influencing medical checkup use. Cost barriers, age, and gender were linked to decreased checkups, while income, insurance, and health status were linked to increased use.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Preventive Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Regular medical checkups are crucial for early disease detection and health maintenance.
- Understanding factors influencing checkup utilization is essential for improving population health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predisposing, enabling, need, behavioral, and disease-related factors predicting the use of medical checkups.
- To inform targeted interventions for increasing preventive healthcare access.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in Iowa.
- Analyzed state-level estimates to identify predictors of recent medical checkups.
Main Results:
- Decreased likelihood of checkups observed in individuals aged 25-44, males, and those facing cost barriers.
- Increased likelihood of checkups associated with marital status, higher household income, health insurance, fair/poor health status, physical activity, occasional smoking, and certain chronic diseases.
Conclusions:
- A distinct profile of individuals not utilizing medical checkups within the past 12 months was established.
- Findings highlight key demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related disparities in healthcare access.