Zemlyanova E.V. Self-protecting behaviour of the elderly Russians regarding commitment to periodical medical examinations. Social'nye aspekty zdorov'a naselenia [serial online] 2024; 70(5):10. Available from: http: ...

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: http://vestnik.mednet.ru/content/view/1654/30/lang,ru/ (дата обращения 02.01.2025)

Abstract

ignificance. Increased life expectancy actualizes the issues of the elderly health and healthy ageing and active longevity. One of the most important factors is preventive activity, the elderly taking care of their health. The purpose of the study is to evaluate commitment of the elderly Russians to periodical medical examinations as a form of taking care of their health. Material and methods. National and international publications on periodical medical examinations in the elderly were analyzed. The study was conducted using microdata database of the Selective supervision of the health status of the population conducted by Rosstat in 2023. Results. The analysis shows that the shares of population who skipped periodical medical examination are very high – from 35% to 55% with an increase in older ages, differences between urban and rural population are negligible. Female gender, higher level of education and material wellbeing (according to self-esteem), absence of behavioural factors (exemplified by smoking), as well as having a family make a positive effect on preventive behaviour. Stress caused by the spouse loss i.e. widowhood, negatively affects concern for one's health, whereas absence of a family (not married) does not have such an impact. High self–rated health has the opposite effect on men and women when deciding about medical examination - most men consider it unnecessary, while women, on the contrary, undergo it more actively. Conclusion. The study results show an urgent need to develop measures to motivate the elderly to undergo periodical medical examinations, making it possible to diagnose asymptomatic chronic diseases at an early stage and prevent their severe course. Since the level of health and physical capabilities expectedly decreases with age, other forms of preventive examinations, including home-based ones, are needed for such groups of the elderly population.