Characteristics of men most likely to respond to an invitation to be screened

Some of the characteristics of men, with known risk factors, who were most likely to respond to an invitation to be screened in a national randomized clinical trial to prevent heart disease were determined in 18,872 men, 35-57 yr of age, members of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Oregon. Demographic characteristics and risk factor variables (blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and cigarette smoking levels) were abstracted from medical records. The men were ranked high priority or low priority according to level of risk. All age-eligible men in the health plan received at least one invitation to be screened, with high-priority men receiving more invitations. Despite concentrated efforts to bring them in, less than one-half the high-priority men were screened. Participants were older and wealthier than non-participants, and more likely to have more dependents and to routinely use medical services. Whether or not a man received a medical care service within the preceding two years was a powerful discriminating variable in both the univariate and multivariate analyses reported. The findings suggest that health care programs serving a stable population group should give more consideration to screening in routine medical care.