The Association of Post-Materialism with Health Care Use. Findings of a General Population Survey in Germany

Abstract

(1) The aim of this study was to identify the association between post-materialism and health care use (in terms of the frequency of doctor visits and the reason for doctor visits). (2) Data were taken from the German General Social Survey (a representative sample of individuals aged 18 years and over, n = 3338). The Inglehart’s post-materialist index was used to quantify post-materialism. The doctor visits (self-reported) in the past three months served as an outcome measure. The reasons for seeing a doctor served as an additional outcome measure (acute illness; chronic illness; feeling unwell; requesting advice; visit to the doctor’s office without consulting the doctor (e.g., need to get a prescription); preventive medical check-up/vaccination). (3) After adjusting for several covariates, negative binomial regressions revealed that compared with materialism, post-materialism was associated with decreased doctor visits (total sample; women). Moreover, the likelihood of visiting the doctor for reasons of chronic illnesses was lower in post-materialistic women, whereas the likelihood of visiting the doctor for reasons of preventive medical check-up/vaccination was higher in post-materialistic women. (4) Study findings identify an unexplored link between post-materialism and doctor visits in women. One may conclude that in the long-term, the increased likelihood of preventive medical check-ups in post-materialistic women will be beneficial in decreasing the need for doctor visits for reasons of chronic illnesses. However, future research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Your money or your life? Public support for health initiatives during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…The postmaterialist value index is also a key component of Inglehart's survival/self‐expression value dimension, where survival values tend to be associated with poorer health outcomes (Inglehart and Baker 2000 , 27). In more recent Swedish research, Petersen and Lindstrom ( 2010 , 798) found materialists less likely than postmaterialists to believe their own behaviour determines their health status, which they suggested “may signify a causal relationship between materialist values and sense of less health control and control over health behaviours.” This finding is consistent with a German healthcare study by Hajek and Konig ( 2020 , 1), who argued that “the increased likelihood of preventive medical check‐ups in post‐materialistic women will be beneficial in decreasing the need for doctor visits for reasons of chronic illnesses.”…”

Advances in Population-Based Healthcare Research: From Measures to Evidence

“…Although the male subsample was rather small to reach firm conclusions, in post-materialistic women, visiting doctors was less likely for chronic illnesses and more likely for reasons of preventive medical check-up/vaccination. The study offers thought-provoking insights for further research to confirm results and understand underline mechanisms [ 4 ].…”