title: Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services.
abstract: Purpose in life has been linked with better health (mental and physical) and health behaviors, but its link with patterns of health care use are understudied. We hypothesized that people with higher purpose would be more proactive in taking care of their health, as indicated by a higher likelihood of using preventive health care services. We also hypothesized that people with higher purpose would spend fewer nights in the hospital. Participants (n = 7,168) were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50, and tracked for 6 y. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, each unit increase in purpose (on a six-point scale) was associated with a higher likelihood that people would obtain a cholesterol test [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-1.29] or colonoscopy (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.99-1.14). Furthermore, females were more likely to receive a mammogram/X-ray (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.16-1.39) or pap smear (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06-1.28), and males were more likely to receive a prostate examination (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.18-1.45). Each unit increase in purpose was also associated with 17% fewer nights spent in the hospital (rate ratio = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77-0.89). An increasing number of randomized controlled trials show that purpose in life can be raised. Therefore, with additional research, findings from this study may inform the development of new strategies that increase the use of preventive health care services, offset the burden of rising health care costs, and enhance the quality of life among people moving into the ranks of our aging society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; kimeric@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; and.
authors.forename: Victor J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Strecher
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705.
authors.forename: Carol D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ryff
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006403:Hematologic Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines
keywords: health screening; meaning in life; purpose in life; well-being