Factors associated with failure to undergo health check-ups in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

Mayumi Ohnishi; Rieko Nakao; Ryoko Kawasaki; Junichi Tanaka; Satoko Kosaka; Masahiro Umezaki

Return

Factors associated with failure to undergo health check-ups in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

VernacularTitle:Factors associated with failure to undergo health check-ups in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Author: Mayumi OHNISHI ¹ ; Rieko NAKAO ¹ ; Ryoko KAWASAKI ¹ ; Junichi TANAKA ¹ ; Satoko KOSAKA ¹ ; Masahiro UMEZAKI ²
Author Information

1. Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan
2. Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Keywords: health check-ups; nonattendees; healthy behaviors
From:Journal of Rural Medicine 2023;18(1):28-35
CountryJapan
Language:English
Abstract: Objective: Municipal National Health Insurance (NHI) in Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan struggles with poor attendance of health check-ups, which was only 39.6% in 2018. This study aimed to evaluate factors that encourage healthy behaviors, including opting for health check-ups, and the characteristics of middle-aged and older individuals who did not undergo health check-ups.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study, using a self-administered questionnaire, was conducted in August 2020 in three municipalities of Nagasaki Prefecture. In addition to questions regarding sociodemographic information, such as sex, age, educational status, self-rated economic status, and family structure, the questionnaire included questions on daily lifestyle habits such as alcohol intake and exercise, current medical treatment, self-rated health, and information related to health check-ups. Of the 18,710 questionnaires distributed in the three municipalities, 8,756 (46.8%) were collected by the end of December 2020, of which 7,840 were valid for analysis. The compliance rate for health check-ups was obtained from the Public Health and Welfare Bureau of Nagasaki Prefecture. Statistical analyses were performed according to two age groups: 40−59 and 60−74 years.Results: Among the respondents who did not undergo health check-ups in the year prior to this study, “lack of time” and being “too bothersome” were the most popular reasons for not attending health check-ups. “Living alone” and “low self-rated economic status” were negative factors for receiving health check-ups regardless of age group.Conclusions: Vulnerable middle-aged and older persons, such as those living alone and with low economic status, were less likely to undergo health check-ups. Emphasis on home visits by public health nurses may also be needed to increase awareness of individual health conditions, especially for people living alone and those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.