Factors Influencing Participation in National Health Screening Program among Korean Older Adults by Cognitive Function Level

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the participation rate of the National Health Screening Program (NHSP) and its influencing factors by cognitive function level in Korean older adults.METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis using data from the survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging in 2016. The data were analyzed using χ² test and multiple logistic regression.RESULTS: The participation rates of the NHSP in the mild cognitive impairment group (79.6%) and the suspected dementia group (58.0%) were lower than the normal cognitive function group (88.1%). The factors influencing NHSP varied by cognitive function level. Especially, in the suspected dementia group, higher participation rates of the NHSP were associated with living in rural areas, enrollment in private health insurance, no depressive symptoms, participation in social activities, and no living with children. Depression and participation in social activities influenced participation in NHSP in all groups.CONCLUSION: This study suggests that interventions differentiated by cognitive function level are important for increasing the participation in the health screening.