Are Italians health-conscious enough?

July 2022

The UniSalute Health Observatory in collaboration with Nomisma¹, investigated the propensity of Italians to keep their health status under control.  Based on the survey, Italians are likely to neglect regular checkups and other preventative measures, with the pandemic creating a significant blow to the frequency of visits and specialized examinations for prevention.

According to the research, only one in three Italians (33 percent) have regular checkups to monitor their health status; the prevailing attitude is to seek care only when they begin to suffer from a disorder or disease, an attitude shared by nearly one in two Italians (48 percent). And while many confess to postponing visits when they have a negligible problem (46 percent), some (13 percent) explicitly say that they prefer to do as little as possible. It should come as no surprise, then, that the majority of Italians (54%) have never had a basic checkup such as a dermatological examination to assess moles.

The pandemic has further lowered the level of prevention: in the last two years one in five (20%) checkups has been canceled, and almost one in three (29%) postponed, for a total of almost one in two visits skipped or otherwise delayed. In the majority of cases (about 6 in 10), this was due to the person's own decision. In particular, the one that suffered the most was the preventive test par excellence, namely blood tests: almost one in four (24%) of these checkups, which are essential for the diagnosis of so many diseases, was postponed or canceled. But routine checkups such as dermatological and cardiological examinations were also reduced, with a postponement or cancellation rate of 17 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

Looking at the reasons, it is clear how all this is a direct consequence of the health emergency: in fact, the 38 percent of Italians who have had fewer checkups in the last two years motivate their choice either by a desire to avoid health facilities (21 percent), fearing a possible contagion, or citing the longer timeframe caused by the pandemic (17 percent). Considering only the past year, it is however consoling to find that the vast majority of the sample (83%) went to their primary care physician at least once.

The hope is that having returned to normalcy with a greater awareness of the importance of good health, Italians will increasingly make prevention a healthy habit.

UniSalute S.p.A., a sister company of UnipolSai Assicurazioni S.p.A. and a member of the Unipol Group, has been dedicated exclusively to providing healthcare insurance products and services for more than 25 years. UniSalute S.p.A. joined the International Group Program (IGP) in 2019.

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