ArticleArchives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique2015
A qualitative investigation of non-response in NHS health checks.
Article in Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Stakeholders' perceptions and experiences of factors influencing the commissioning, delivery, and uptake of general health checks: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Influences on NHS Health Check behaviours: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2020Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to participation in a health check for cardiometabolic diseases in primary care: A systematic review.European journal of preventive cardiology · 2018Pooled it
- Reasons why people do not attend NHS Health Checks: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018Pooled it
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Letter and Telephone Reminders in Promoting the Use of Specific Health Guidance in an At-Risk Population for Metabolic Syndrome in Japan: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- Feasibility and success rates of response enhancing strategies in a stepwise prevention program for cardiometabolic diseases in primary care.BMC family practice · 2020Trial
- Applying behavioural science to increase uptake of the NHS Health Check: a randomised controlled trial of gain- and loss-framed messaging in the national patient information leaflet.BMC public health · 2019Trial
- Improving cardiovascular disease risk communication in NHS Health Checks: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2019Trial
- Pre-notification and reminder SMS text messages with behaviourally informed invitation letters to improve uptake of NHS Health Checks: a factorial randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2019Trial
- Randomised controlled trial comparing uptake of NHS Health Check in response to standard letters, risk-personalised letters and telephone invitations.BMC public health · 2019Trial
- A scoping review of how the candidacy framework has been used in research on access to general practice.Journal of health services research & policy · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators of breast cancer screening services amongst black African women in high income countries: a systematic review and meta-aggregation.Discover public health · 2026Review
- Article
- Exploring targeted preventive health check interventions - a realist synthesis.BMC public health · 2023Review
- Factors influencing uptake of diabetes health screening: a mixed methods study in Asian population.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Unwillingness to participate in health checks for cardiometabolic diseases: A survey among primary health care patients in five European countries.Health science reports · 2021Article
- Invitations and incentives: a qualitative study of behavioral nudges for primary care screenings in Armenia.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Mapping non-response in a prevention program for cardiometabolic diseases in primary care: How to improve participation?Preventive medicine reports · 2020Article
- What approaches to social prescribing work, for whom, and in what circumstances? A realist review.Health & social care in the community · 2020Review
- It's hard to reach the "hard-to-reach": the challenges of recruiting people who do not access preventative healthcare services into interview studies.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundImproving uptake of NHS Health Checks has become a priority in England, but there is a lack of data on the perceptions of programme non-attenders. This study aimed to explore how non-attenders of NHS Health Checks perceive the programme, identify reasons for non-attendance and inform strategies to improve uptake.
methodThis qualitative study involved individuals registered at four general practices in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, who had not taken up their invitation to a NHS Health Check. Semi-structured face-to-face and telephone interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for Thematic Analysis.
resultsInterviews were completed with 19 males and 22 females (mean age 52.9 ± 8.5 years), who were socio-demographically representative of the non-attender population. Four main themes identified related to: the positive perception of the Health Check concept among non-attenders; the perceived lack of personal relevance; ineffective invitation method and appointment inconvenience were common barriers; previous experience of primary care can influence uptake.
conclusionsFundamental requirements for improving uptake are that individuals recognise the personal relevance of Health Checks and that attendance is convenient. Incorporating more sophisticated and personalised risk communication as part of the invitation could increase impact and promote candidacy. Flexibility and convenience of appointments should be considered by participating general practices.
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