A study published in BMC Medicine reveals a significant benefit of attending an NHS Health Check appointment.
This free preventative screening program in the UK is linked to a reduced risk of death and several diseases, including dementia and liver cirrhosis.
The findings suggest that such preventative programs can effectively lower a population’s risk of long-term illnesses.
The NHS Health Check aims to identify adults at risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease. It targets healthy individuals aged 40 to 74, offering physical checks and a health behavior survey.
Based on these assessments, attendees receive personalized advice to delay or prevent the onset of these conditions. Similar programs exist in other countries like France and Germany, but there has been limited research on their impact in preventing long-term diseases.
Celeste McCracken and her team analyzed data from 97,204 participants in the UK Biobank. They focused on the relationship between attending an NHS Health Check and the risk of death or diagnosis of 14 different health conditions.
The participants, recruited between 2006 and 2010, included 48,602 individuals who attended a Health Check between January 2008 and June 2016.
Each attendee was matched with a non-attendee with similar characteristics, such as demographics and health behaviors, for a fair comparison. The researchers then tracked the participants’ health records over an average of nine years.
The study found that those who attended an NHS Health Check had significantly lower rates of several diseases.
Specifically, there was a 19% reduction in dementia diagnosis, a 23% reduction in acute kidney injury diagnosis, and a 44% reduction in liver cirrhosis diagnosis. Additionally, Health Check participants had a 23% lower risk of death from any cause.
These results highlight the effectiveness of the NHS Health Check in reducing long-term disease rates.
While there might be a concern about self-selection bias — as healthier individuals are more likely to attend such screenings — the researchers believe their matching process minimizes this issue.
This study underscores the value of preventative health screenings in identifying and mitigating health risks early.
Programs like the NHS Health Check not only help in reducing the burden of diseases like dementia and liver cirrhosis but also contribute to overall longevity. Such findings support the continued implementation and enhancement of preventive health care services.
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The research findings can be found in BMC Medicine.
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