Factors affecting the decision for routine health checkup: evidence from survey data in Khanh Hoa province

Abstract

Routine health checkup is the simplest and most scientific method for early detection, minimizing harm, and preventing complications of diseases. However, until now, only a fraction of the population is aware of its importance. Studies in the world and in Vietnam show that the proportion of the population having routine health checkups remains modest. Understanding which factors affect the decision to have routine health checkups is important in creating a system and environment that encourage people to have regular health checkups. The study is based on the survey data of 420 people in Khanh Hoa province to identify the main factors affecting their decision of routine health checkups, using the Logit regression model. The results shows that factors affecting decisions on routine health checkups include: education level, occupation, income, age, chronic illness, waiting time, and the impact of cost. The study also determines that gender and marital status have no effect on regular health checkups. The results highlight the importance of taking into consideration the priorities of time and cost when developing policies to encourage regular health checkups in the population.