Utilization of preventive health services by an employed population

To determine the utilization rates of selected preventive services in an employed population, we analyzed the responses of 18,053 health profile participants. Overall utilization rates for preventive services were high: 86.0% of respondents had their blood pressure checked, 94.0% of all women had a Pap smear and 81.3% had clinical breast examinations, 48.4% of respondents aged 40 and older had a rectal examination and 31.8% of those aged 50 and older had a test for occult blood in the stool, and 33.7% had a routine sigmoidoscopy. With the exception of blood pressure screening, the percentage of our respondents utilizing preventive services was considerably higher than the corresponding percentages in the US population as reported in the National Health Interview Survey. Nevertheless, the results suggest substantial opportunity for employers to encourage the appropriate use of preventive health services among employees.