National Health Screening Program Non-Participation Rates Among Koreans with Brain Injury-Based Disabilities: 2016–2017

Background/Objectives: The National Health Screening Program is currently performed in Korea. This study compared the non-participation rates between disabilities caused by brain injury and those without disability in 2016 and 2017.

Methods/Statistical Analysis: Data were extracted from the National Health Insurance database. Among the data, chest X-ray, blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index (BMI), auditory and visual functions, Hepatitis B virus, hemoglobin, liver function, bone mineral density, lower extremity function test, balance test, depression, and cognitive function test results were compared between the disability from brain injury and non-disability groups. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the non-participation rates between these groups.

Findings: About 0.3% (n=42,457) of individuals had disabilities due to brain injury. In 2016, the nonparticipation rates for chest X-ray and urine cholesterol among those with disability due to brain injury were 3.8%, and 4.1%, respectively. However, the non-participation rates among those without disabilities were only 0.9% and 0.4%, respectively. The non-participation rates among disabilities due to brain injury were also significantly higher than that in those without disability population in other examination programs. In 2017, 3.3% of individuals with disabilities due to brain injury did not participate in chest X-rays, compared to 0.8% of individuals without disabilities. Similarly, the non-participation rates for urine protein test were 4.1% and 0.4%, respectively. The non-participation rate for all examination programs for health screening was higher among those with disabilities due to brain injury than that in those without disabilities. The average non-participation rates for the group of individuals with disabilities due to brain injury were 5.0% in 2016 and 4.4% in 2017, compared to 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively, for the group without disabilities.

Improvements/Applications: The National Health Screening program should be applied to all citizens regardless of disability. Policies are needed to increase participation in health screening programs among individuals with disabilities.