Determining whether periodic health checkups have any preventive effect on deterioration in health among middle-aged adults: A hazards model analysis in Japan

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to examine the long-term impact of periodic health checkups (PHCs) on health outcomes among middle-aged adults. Methods: We used longitudinal data from 29 770 individuals (15 399 men and 14 371 women) aged 50–59 years in the baseline year (2005), obtained from a population-based 14-wave survey. PHC participants were defined as those who underwent PHCs for the first three consecutive waves, and we investigated the onset of inpatient care for five types of non-communicable diseases (diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and dyslipidemia) as well as poor self-rated health and problems in the activities of daily living in the subsequent 11 waves. Cox-proportional hazards models were used to estimate the impact of PHCs on health outcomes by employing the propensity score matching (PSM) method. Results: Participation in PHCs was closely related to a respondent's socioeconomic status and health behavior. After controlling for these factors by PSM, the hazard models showed that PHCs postponed the onset of inpatient care for hypertension (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval: 0.36–0.85) among men, but PHCs had no impact on any other health outcomes in men or women. Conclusions: The preventive impact of PHCs on health deterioration is generally limited among middle-aged adults. Future studies should address policy measures to enhance the effectiveness of PHCs.