Do healthier lifestyles lead to less utilization of healthcare resources?

Abstract

BackgroundGovernments are urged to determine methods to control the use of medical resources and curb the rise of healthcare costs. The question is, do health behaviors have an impact on the use of medical resources? This study aims to identify and understand the difference in the number of outpatient visits and health examinations based on various health behaviors and to determine whether patients seek medical care for illness from the same physicians.MethodsThis study used the dataset derived from the Department of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2005. Persons older than 15 years were surveyed using an on-site questionnaire. A total of 2911 persons were enrolled in this study. Independent t-tests, chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, multiple linear regression and binominal logistic regression were used in the data analysis.ResultsThe regression model for the frequency of doctor visits, health examinations, and whether the same physician is sought for medical care has demonstrated significant correlations with gender, age and education-level variables. Four health behaviors (i.e., exercise habits, dietary habits, regular blood pressure measurement, drinking habits) exhibited a significant correlation with healthcare utilization (P <0.05).ConclusionsHealthy lifestyles lead to an increase in the utilization of preventive health services. However, there is not much significantly reducing the number of outpatient visits in people with health behaviors. Specifically, people with regular exercise habits and who take their blood pressure measurement regularly have an increased number of outpatient visits. It is suggested that more available and accessible health consultation services be provided to inculcate in the general public the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Factors associated with the intention to use adult preventive health services in Taiwan

“…Previous studies have also found that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can promote individuals’ health and reduce the utilization of medical resources (Possemato, Bishop, Willis, Lantinga, ; Wiley‐Exley et al, ). Individuals who are more motivated to maintain personal health are likely to lead healthy lifestyles (i.e., to have exercise habits) and understand the importance of undergoing health examinations, increasing the likelihood of their use of preventive health services (Lee, Chang, & Du, ). Many studies have found that individuals with regular exercise routines tend to undergo health examinations and utilize preventive health services (Lee et al, ; Lin et al, ).…”

“…Individuals who are more motivated to maintain personal health are likely to lead healthy lifestyles (i.e., to have exercise habits) and understand the importance of undergoing health examinations, increasing the likelihood of their use of preventive health services (Lee, Chang, & Du, ). Many studies have found that individuals with regular exercise routines tend to undergo health examinations and utilize preventive health services (Lee et al, ; Lin et al, ). This is consistent with the results of this study, which found that participants who tended to exercise more had higher future intentions to use adult preventive health services.…”

“…Taiwan established the National Health Insurance in 1995 to protect the health of middle‐aged and elderly individuals, detect chronic diseases, and administer interventions and treatment at the early stages of illness. This health insurance provided citizens aged between 40 and 64 years with one free adult health examination every 3 years and, for citizens aged 65 years and older, one free annual examination (Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health, & Welfare, ; Lee, Chang, & Du, ). In Taiwan, foreign nationals can benefit from the National Health Insurance after 6 or more months of residency and can receive free adult preventive health services (Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China, ).…”

<p>Risk Of Urticaria In Geriatric Stroke Patients Who Received Influenza Vaccination: A Retrospective Cohort Study</p>

“…35 The vaccinated patients not only had a greater chance of being vaccinated but also had likely accessed medical care more often. 36 Due to the increased number of visits to the clinic and increased healthcare resource utilization, the vaccinated Note: *Adjusted all covariates listed in Table 1. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; IV, influenza vaccination; RR, rate ratio.…”

Twelve year trajectories of physical activity and health costs in mid-age Australian women

“…These positive effects may in uence utilization of health services in later years, and consequently, the costs. Although several cross-sectional studies support the evidence of associations between PA and use and costs of health services (17)(18)(19)(20)(21), only one US study (22) and two previous analyses of ALSWH data (23,24) have examined these relationships prospectively.…”