Effect on attendance by including focused information on spirometry in preventive health checks: study protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Early detection of lung diseases is crucial for reducing severity, yet many patients remain undiagnosed.
• Preventive health checks, including spirometry, can identify lung diseases early, but recruitment challenges persist.
• Motivations for attending preventive health checks are not well understood, hindering effective recruitment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of focused spirometry information versus general information on attendance rates for preventive health checks.
• To assess whether specific details about spirometry in invitations enhance participation in health screenings.
• To inform the development of more effective recruitment strategies for public health initiatives.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, controlled trial within the Check your Health Preventive Program (CHPP) in Denmark (2012-2017).
• Household cluster randomization of 4356 citizens aged 30-49 years into an intervention group (focused spirometry info) and a comparison group (general info).
• Outcomes measured include attendance rates and the proportion of at-risk individuals identified through smoking status and lung symptoms.

Main Results:

• The study aims to compare attendance rates between the two groups.
• It will also compare the proportion of participants identified as at risk for lung disease.
• The proportion of participants with abnormal spirometry results will be analyzed between groups.

Conclusions:

• Findings will guide future recruitment strategies for health checks.
• Effective recruitment materials can be developed and transferred to other populations.
• Improving attendance can enhance early detection and management of lung diseases.