The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #45994

Benjamin Chin and John J Brusk, MPH. Public Health Program, Nova Southeastern University, 3200 South University Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328

Impressive evidence supports the value of preventive health services. However, studies support the existence of gaps between distinct groups concerning actual receipt of recommended preventive health services. One group observed to participate in fewer of these services is the elderly. Furthermore, preventive health services delivery to patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is fragmented and inadequate. Expected median survival after the onset of dementia is shortened in AD patients, yet this etiology is uncertain. A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare AD patients and non-AD patients based on the rate of preventive health services received. Our purpose was to observe a possible relationship between AD and receiving key preventive health services. Services were measured using medical insurance claims data. The preventive services investigated were grouped as influenza vaccine injection, Papanicolaou smears, mammography, prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests, or fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs). Age-adjusted rates of receipt for each of these five procedures were calculated for both AD patient and non-AD patients by gender. Each age-adjusted preventive health service rate investigated was markedly lower for AD patients that non-AD patients. The female age-adjusted rates of FOBT receipt were 1.3 and 11.9 per hundred individuals for AD and non-AD patients, respectively. This investigation demonstrates that patients with AD receive significantly fewer preventive health services when compared to individuals without AD. One hypothesis for further investigation using a prospective design would be the existence of an increase in AD patient survival given the receipt of a basic set of preventive health services.

Learning Objectives: Following conclusion of our presentation, participants will be able to

• generate hypotheses concerning the survival of Alzheimer's patients,
• increase the awareness about the value of preventive health services among the elderly, and
• understand the use of direct standardization methods for calculating age-adjusted rates.

Keywords: Preventive Medicine, Elderly

Related Web page: www.nova.edu/~jbrusk

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.