2019 Volume 34 Issue 3 Pages 443-449
Objective: Based on a review of follow-up activities after health check-ups, we investigated future issues in health support activities.
Methods: The subjects were 15,219 individuals who had undergone an opportunistic health check-up during the period from July 2014 to June 2016. We examined the breakdown of assessment categories for individual examinations, rates of requiring secondary examination or treatment by age and sex and rates of undergoing examinations following recommendation for lifestyle-related diseases and non-lifestyle-related diseases.
Results: Of the 15,219 subjects who had received a health check-up, 5,388 (35.4%) required secondary examinations or treatment. Among them, 3,371 (62.6%) underwent examination of their own volition after receiving the health check-ups report. Considering the remaining 2,017 (37.4%) to be unexamined, we focused recommendation on them. Recommendation letters were mailed to 624 subjects with lifestyle-related diseases and 20 underwent examination (examination rate 3.2%). On the other hand, 168 (12.1%) of 1,393 subjects with non-lifestyle related diseases that we sent letters to underwent examination. Statistically, the examination rate for lifestyle-related diseases was significantly lower than that for non-lifestyle-related diseases (p<0.01).
Conclusion: It was difficult to have many of those given post-examination follow-up undergo secondary examination, even with active interventions by telephone or letter. Also, on the day of the health check–up when people’s interest in their health is greatest, there should be a system for providing all examinees with explanation of results, health consultation and health guidance. This would help to raise secondary examination rates at hospitals for those who do not undergo examination of their own volition and reduce rates of secondary examination and treatment through mitigation of lifestyle-related diseases.
