Evaluation of the impact of the COVİD-19 pandemic on the USE of preventive HEALTH services

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the use of preventive health services and to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of preventive health services in patients aged 18 and over who agreed to participate in the study and gave consent. Our research, which was designed as descriptive and cross-sectional, was conducted by face-to-face interviews through a questionnaire. In the study, independent samples t-test and analysis of variance were used to examine the frequency of admission to the health institution in normal times and during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to participant characteristics. Sidiak paired comparison test was performed to determine the groups that were determined as different as a result of the analysis of variance. Paired t-test was applied to examine the difference in the frequency of admission to the health institution in normal times and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to analyze it according to participant characteristics. Correlation analysis was applied in order to determine the relationship between the frequency of the participants' visits to the health institution in normal times and during the COVID-19 pandemic and their numerical results (age, height, weight, number of applications to the health institution, etc.). Chi-square analysis was performed to examine the use of preventive health services according to patient characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic period. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant in the study. Analysis was done with SPSS 25.0 package program. 350 people aged 18 and over were included in the study. 50.6% of the participants were women, 67.7% were married, 62.3% were university graduates, 25.4% were healthcare professionals, 55.1% were overweight or obese, 32% smoking, 28.6% use alcohol, 49.4% do not exercise and 29.1% have at least one chronic disease. As a result of the study, 33.1% of the participants stated that the pandemic period prevented them from receiving preventive health services. The participants, who stated that the pandemic process prevented them from accessing preventive health services, answered the question why, "I think the risk of transmission in health institutions is high during this period" with a rate of 38% and "I think it is unnecessary to apply to a health institution except in emergencies during this period" with a rate of 31.2%. As a result of the study, it was seen that the number of applications to health institutions decreased during the pandemic period, the use of preventive health services was not sufficient, and the pandemic period affected the current situation even more negatively. In particular, the provision of preventive health services for those with chronic diseases has been more disrupted. Preventive health services have a very important place for both the individual and the society and are in a central position among health services. It is of great importance to ensure the continuity of preventive health services that prevent the emergence and progression of diseases, especially during the pandemic period, and new health policies should be established for this purpose. During the pandemic period, applications such as tele-medicine that allow the patient to be evaluated remotely can also be an alternative for health service delivery in cases where it is not mandatory to see the patient face to face. Key Words: COVID-19 Pandemics, Preventive Health Services, Periodic Health Examinations