Purpose equals prevention

People who have a sense of purpose in life are more likely to seek preventive health care, a study finds.

Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin looked at more than 7,000 respondents of the Health and Retirement Study, comparing those who indicated they felt a sense of purpose with their use of various preventive health services, according to the Los Angeles Times. The study’s authors then controlled for demographic factors such as wealth, education and marital status, finding there is indeed a connection between sense of purpose and proactive medical care.

The researchers suggest increased utilization of preventive health services could help mitigate soaring costs. (Americans spent $3.8 trillion on health care in 2012.) “These troublesome realities could be offset by greater use of preventive health care services, which are known to enhance health and reduce health care costs,” the authors wrote.