Expert: new prevention program will not improve the health situation of Poles

The new preventive program "My health - an adult's health assessment" has replaced the previous pilot program "Prevention 40+" since May of this year. According to expert Dr. Zbigniew Król, the new program will not improve the health situation of Poles.

Dr. Zbigniew J. Król from the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Wrocław does not expect the program to bring the desired effect, just as – in his opinion – the idea of ​​a balance sheet for 40-year-olds has not worked.

The program "My health - an adult's health assessment" assumes more laboratory tests related to the diagnosis of cardiovascular or oncological diseases, among others. It will also be available to a wider group of people, because it will be available to people aged 20 - the university reminded in a press release.

"Healthy adults aged 20-45 rarely visit doctors, and even less often get tested if nothing ails them. We have ample evidence of this in the form of summaries of the results of prevention programs addressed to young people around the world. Such programs simply do not bring results. In the case of this group, it makes much more sense to organize screening tests in places where these people frequent," said Dr. Król.

In his opinion, a young person will not come to a clinic, but he can be persuaded to get tested at a university or during a concert.

The expert from the Medical University of Wrocław considers the inclusion of children in the program as part of the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia to be absolutely wrong. In his opinion, it is completely unnecessary, because children have their own balances and there is no need to duplicate tests and create additional barriers, including the stress caused by another visit to the doctor.

According to the expert, better results are achieved by screening programs targeted at specific risk groups, within which specific tests are performed. An example of this is the colon cancer prevention program, in which patients benefit from reimbursed colonoscopy, or screening mammography in older women, thanks to which cancerous changes can be detected at an early stage. However, even such programs - although valuable from the perspective of the individual and potentially positively affecting the health of the entire population - still do not reach the assumed participation rates.

"Hard data proves the failure of preventive measures taken in Poland to date. What should their effect be? In principle, it is a higher average life, lived in good health. This is important because the goal is not only a longer life in terms of metrics, but also its good quality. Meanwhile, this indicator has not been growing in our country for years," emphasized Dr. Król.

In his opinion, there is a lack of comprehensive actions that would involve not only the Ministry of Health, but also other state bodies. "Family doctors have a huge role to play in prevention, but this burden cannot rest solely on their shoulders. Especially in a situation where doctors in primary health care clinics are overloaded and in some periods of the year (infectious seasons) simply do not have time for prevention," we read in the announcement.

The doctor added that it has long been known why Poles do not live longer and their condition is not improving. Nicotine, a bad diet combined with a lack of exercise and alcohol – these are the main reasons for the lack of extending life in good quality in Poland.

"To eliminate these risk factors from the population, it is not enough to create more preventive programs based on diagnostic tests. Health education alone, carried out in isolation from the entire system, is also not enough. They should be interconnected, which requires the involvement of many institutions," concluded Dr. Król. (PAP)

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