Abstract
Objective: A health insurance union that we are under contract to had the idea of conducting private health check-ups for women with the aim of raising the check-up rate for non-working female dependents. They consulted us in this regard and, beginning in 2011, we conducted such check-ups exclusively for individual health insurance unions.
Methods: We conducted these check-ups 22 times between 2011 and 2016 and had 694 women who had undergone them complete a questionnaire regarding their satisfaction with the check-up after it, and whether they wished to have the same kind of check-up in the following year.
Results: Each time, the questionnaire recovery rate was high (average 92.5%, 642 valid responses). Regarding the reason for choosing a private women’s health check-up, respondents could select several reasons from among the 9 items in the question. Major reasons selected were: a private health check-up was conducted on that day (66.8%), it was on a Saturday (62.1%), the breast cancer screening technician was a woman (45.6%) and the doctor conducting uterine cancer screening was a woman (41.9%). The rate for women wishing to have such health check-ups in the following year was 98.1%.
Conclusion: Factors contributing to the success of private women’s health check-ups exclusively for individual health insurance unions were a feeling that it was something special and that it was carried out on a Saturday. This led to the high rate for customer satisfaction. In the section for optional comments, it was highly evaluated with respondents saying things like “I had a feeling of ease because it was for women only” and “I felt relaxed”. There are few opportunities to undergo health check-ups mandated for non-working female dependents by the Safety and Health Act. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that health check-ups for women planned and conducted by women would raise the rate of female non-working dependents undergoing health check-ups. At present, several health insurance unions are considering basic and more detailed health check-ups exclusively for women.
