[Determinants of the utilization of general health check-up among older adults in Saxony-Anhalt: What is the influence of access to health services?]

Abstract

Due to the nature of demographic developmens, there is an increasing need for prevention measures in healthcare. In Germany, people with statutory health insurance have a legal right to general health check-ups for early detection of diseases that are significant in terms of population medicine. However, the older population has thus far made inadequate use of these services, resulting in significant losses of prevention potential. This paper examines the impact of objective and subjectively perceived access to health services on the use of general health check-up among citizens aged 55 years and older in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.The study uses data from a written cross-sectional survey of residents from four major and minor cities in Saxony-Anhalt. Bivariate logistic regression models were used for the statistical analysis of data to evaluate the relation between access parameters to health services and utilization.In all, 953 questionnaires were included in the analyses; 59.7% of the respondents used the general health check-up in the recommended time interval. In the multivariate analyses, the study showed that neither subjective satisfaction with access nor self-reported travel times to family doctors were significant factors affecting the utilization. On the other hand, being a member of statutory health insurance funds and the use of a private car increased the likelihood of utilization. Other determinants that had an influence on the use of general health checks were net household income and need for long-term care.The results of this study indicate potential for increasing utilization of general health check-up among older people. However, increased use of free health check-ups by this section of the population cannot be achieved primarily by improving accessibility, but must be addressed by other factors, such as attitudes towards health checks, which requires further analysis.