ArticleJournal of general and family medicine2026
Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors in a Depopulated Rural Area of Shiga Prefecture, Japan in 2025: A Descriptive Study Using the Ecology of Medical Care Model.
Article in Journal of general and family medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Japan will reach peak population aging around 2043. To better understand healthcare-seeking behaviors in depopulated and aging communities, we examined healthcare utilization patterns in rural areas of Japan throughout 2025. Methods: Using the Ecology of Medical Care model, we conducted a descriptive study in a mountainous area of Japan. Health behaviors were summarized per 1000 population with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 1285 residents reported 2021 health problems. The median age was 63 years (interquartile range, 39-74 years), and 47.2% of respondents were aged ≥ 65 years. Per 1000 population (95% CI), the estimated numbers of individuals were: no symptoms, 782 (759-805); observation, 20 (13-28); self-care without medical consultation, 34 (24-43); clinic visits, 42 (31-53); primary hospital visits, 52 (40-64); secondary hospital visits, 31 (22-40); tertiary hospital visits, 8 (3-13); ambulance transport, 2 (0-5); hospitalization, 27 (18-36); and urgent home visits 2 (0-5). Self-care without medical consultation among young adults as well as hospitalizations and ambulance transports among those aged ≥ 75 years were more frequent; children often used higher-level hospital services. Conclusion: In rural mountainous communities, younger adults were more likely to rely on self-care, whereas older adults had higher rates of hospitalization, and children used centralized hospitals more frequently. These findings provide insight into healthcare-seeking patterns in communities experiencing population aging and decline.
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