Sex differences in the use of healthcare services among US adults with and without a cancer diagnosis

Objective Cancer imposes higher burden on men. Sex differences in healthcare utilization may contribute to this problem. We compared healthcare utilization among adults with and without a history of cancer as measured by having at least one physician visit within the previous 12 months. Material and methods We analyzed data from 7,229 responders (weighted population size=211,722,892) enrolled in the 2007 Health Information and National Trends Survey (HINTS), a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized adults in the United States. We used survey weights in all analyses and variance estimation procedures to account for the complex survey design and used logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Study participants consisted of 2808 (48.6%) males and 4421 (51.4%) females. Overall, men were less likely to have seen a physician within the previous 12 months (OR=0.39; 95% CI: 0.31-0.48) regardless of their cancer status. Cancer survivors were more likely to visit a physician within the previous 12 months (OR=2.01; 95% CI: 1.28-3.19) regardless of sex. When stratified by personal history of cancer, men without a history of cancer were less likely to visit a physician (OR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.30-0.47) whereas men with a history of cancer were as likely to have seen a physician in the previous 12 months as women with similar cancer status (OR=1.24; 95% CI: 0.44-3.45). Conclusion Men increase their healthcare utilization to that of women only after they receive diagnosis of cancer. Targeted interventions to promote utilization of preventive care services by men are needed to reduce the burden of chronic illnesses including cancer among men.