- Health Services Utilization > - Preventive Care Preventive
health care, including counseling, education, and screening, can
help prevent or minimize the effects of many serious health
conditions. In 2010, 72.3 percent of women reported that they
had received a routine checkup or general physical exam that was
not for a specific injury, illness, or condition, compared to
63.4 percent of men. For both men and women, the receipt of
preventive health care increased with age and exceeded 85
percent among those aged 65 years and older. Among those aged
18–44 years, however, women were much more likely than men to
have had a preventive checkup (66.1 versus 53.4 percent,
respectively). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
recommends specific screening tests, counseling, immunizations,
and preventive medications for a variety of diseases and
conditions including several types of cancer, cardiovascular
disease, injury, infectious diseases, mental health, and
substance abuse.1 For example, biennial breast cancer sc