A groundbreaking international study has unveiled significant disparities in the uptake of preventive healthcare services among older adults with disabilities, emphasizing the profound influence of public healthcare investment on these patterns. The research, spanning 27 middle- and high-income countries and encompassing nearly 47,000 individuals, highlights a compelling correlation between national government health spending and equitable access to preventive interventions such as influenza vaccinations, eye examinations, and dental checkups.
Preventive healthcare is widely recognized in medical science as foundational to promoting longevity and enhancing the quality of life in aging populations. Despite its acknowledged importance, this extensive study reveals a persistent access gap: older adults living with disabilities remain disproportionately underserved when it comes to routine preventive measures. Crucially, the study elucidates that while some disparities endure regardless of national healthcare expenditure, targeted investments can significantly mitigate, and in some cases reverse, these inequities.
The collaborative effort was spearheaded by Dr. Sharona Tsadok Rosenbluth, a Lady Davis postdoctoral fellow affiliated with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Faculty of Health Sciences, alongside esteemed colleagues Dr. Shmuli Bramli-Greenberg, a distinguished health economics inequality scholar, and Dr. Boaz Hovav of Max Stern Yezreel Valley College. Their collective expertise converged to conduct a multilevel statistical analysis of comprehensive data procured through the large-scale, pre-pandemic SHARE survey.
Through rigorous data modeling, the team examined how individual disability severity interacts with national healthcare financing to shape service utilization rates. The study’s scope incorporated a diverse set of 27 countries, allowing for profound cross-national comparisons. Key findings revealed that flu vaccination rates exhibited a dramatic variation, ranging from as low as 3% in some nations to more than 60% in others, while eye exam and dental care frequencies showed similar broad differentials, with eye exams reported between 17% and 77% and dental visits ranging from 14% to 86%.
Intriguingly, the prevalence of disability itself fluctuated between 7% and 26% across these countries, suggesting not only variability in demographic and health profiles but also potentially reflecting underlying systemic factors affecting disability recognition and healthcare engagement. Notably, in high-spending healthcare systems, older adults with disabilities demonstrated increased flu vaccine uptake—challenging conventional expectations that disability unequivocally hinders access to preventive care.
While disparities in dental and eye care persisted regardless of healthcare investment, these countries still maintained significantly higher overall service utilization, indicating that robust healthcare funding elevates baseline access for all. The influenza vaccination environment, however, told a more nuanced story. At elevated levels of spending—quantified at approximately 8.8% of GDP—the vaccination trend inverted, with disabled individuals surpassing their non-disabled counterparts in flu shot coverage. This counterintuitive finding underscores the transformative capacity of well-structured healthcare funding combined with disability-sensitive policies.
Dr. Tsadok Rosenbluth succinctly articulated the implications, stating that “smart, targeted healthcare investment really can protect vulnerable populations and improve quality of life in old age,” while simultaneously conceding that “significant work remains to address entrenched inequities faced by people living with disabilities.” The study resonates with broader public health discourses advocating for system-level reforms and highlights the indispensable role government expenditure plays in bridging health access gaps.
This research further accentuates the critical necessity of tailoring health policies not only to increase funding but also to optimize its deployment toward inclusive healthcare delivery. Without these dual strategies, individuals at the intersection of advanced age and disability might continue to face barriers, precluding them from the full benefits of preventive interventions that are key to successful aging trajectories.
Beyond individual health benefits, ensuring equitable preventive care access is pivotal at the population level, mitigating the societal and economic burdens imposed by avoidable illnesses and complications. The findings suggest that countries committed to expanding public health budgets while instituting disability-centric supports are better poised to foster healthier, more dignified aging populations.
These insights emerge at a juncture when many nations confront escalating challenges posed by demographic shifts, including rapidly aging populations and increasing prevalence of chronic conditions. This study offers a data-driven blueprint for policymakers, emphasizing that increased health spending, when executed thoughtfully, does not merely elevate aggregate health metrics but crucially improves outcomes for those most vulnerable.
The publication, appearing in the reputable Journal of Public Health, leverages a robust methodological framework underpinned by multilevel statistical analyses that intricately link macro-level fiscal measures with micro-level health behavior patterns. This approach allows for nuanced inferences regarding causality and the interplay between systemic funding and individual health service utilization.
In summary, the research presents a compelling case that health equity in aging populations is profoundly influenced by government investment in healthcare systems. Preventive care disparities among disabled older adults represent a significant public health concern, but strategic, well-funded interventions can reverse such trends and promote inclusivity in health outcomes, demonstrating that a commitment to equitable health spending is fundamentally a commitment to social justice in aging.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Maintaining quality of life of people at older ages: factors affecting the utilization of preventive care
News Publication Date: 16-Jul-2025
Web References: 10.1007/s10389-025-02550-w
References: Journal of Public Health
Keywords: Health disparity, Health equity, Health care costs, Health care delivery, Health care policy, Personalized medicine
