Research has shown that 71% of Turkish people consider themselves healthy despite the fact that 84% of the population has never gone for a check-up, according to a report revealing the low health literacy levels in the country.
The report on health literacy is based on a survey and research by Siemens Healthineers Turkey, which conducts research on health technology, measures health awareness and sheds light on public health.
The research was conducted in 26 of Turkey's provinces between March and February 2022, and took into account the general representation of the country. The results of the study in which individuals were asked about their hospital preferences, lifestyle, disease history, whether they use preventative health services, their access to health information and future prospects, were shared at a press conference on Thursday.
According to the report, people with lower education levels felt less healthy, with 54% believing they are in good health.
The report shows public hospitals are the primary choice when it comes to health care services. While 61% of the participants opt for public hospitals, this rate is 22% for private hospitals.
Preventive health services are not being used enough in Turkey and awareness about chronic diseases is insufficient according to the report. Speaking about the results at the press conference, Gürdal Şahin, Siemens Healthineers Turkey Deputy general manager for laboratory and innovation, said that the findings provided “interesting data” about online health information and the research level in Turkey, “which is below the OECD average by 51%.” “It is at a level that is still promising. However, it can be seen that the importance of preventive health services is not being understood by the community. Eighty-three percent of participants are unaware of their chronic illnesses, which is a critical number. The rate of those who do not go for check-ups is also quite high which is an obstacle to early diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the high rate of those who are not aware of cancer treatments indicates that some actions should be taken in terms of health literacy across the country,” he said.
As a part of the study, in which blood test parameters were also evaluated, participants were asked what they would be most interested to measure if they were to take a blood test tomorrow. For 48% of men, the answer was blood sugar, while 28% of women said iron.
The report points out that the rate of diabetes in men in Turkey is high. The authors say high blood sugar is the cause of many diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, strokes, vision problems, kidney failure, sexual disorders in men, diabetic foot and nervous system diseases. Diabetes can cause damage to organs insidiously for many years without showing any symptoms.
They highlight that getting a complete blood test also plays an important role in the early diagnosis of such diseases. “In addition to the role of laboratory tests in the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of the disease, predicting the risks of the disease individually is very important for detecting the disease before it occurs. Health screenings and check-up programs that are done periodically are important for all age groups,” they said.
A total of 62% of the participants in the report stated that they obtained information about radiology services from a doctor or nurse, 27% said they did their research on the internet and 3% from social media. The report also revealed the low awareness in Turkey about breast cancer. Some 64% of women over the age of 40 have never had a mammogram in their life. When this group was asked why they chose not to, 76% said that they did not feel they needed it. The study showed that only 4% of women regularly get mammograms.
