Relationship between health checkups and cancer screenings of wives and health checkups of their husbands: A cross-sectional study in Japan

Objectives This study investigated the relationship between health checkups, cervical cancer screenings, and breast cancer screenings (collectively referred to as wellness examinations) of wives and health checkups of their husbands. We aimed to develop strategies to encourage wellness examinations among married individuals in Japan. Methods This study used the 2019 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions, focusing on married couples aged 40–64. We analyzed the percentage of wives undergoing wellness examinations, grouped based on whether their husbands had undergone health checkups. Subsequently, multivariable modified Poisson regression analysis was performed considering sociodemographic and health-related factors. All analyses considered medical insurance of wives because wellness examination methods varied depending on medical insurance type. Results The sample comprised 40,560 couples undergoing health checkups, 39,870 undergoing cervical cancer screening, and 39,895 undergoing breast cancer screening. Regardless of the medical insurance type of the wife, a significant positive association was observed between the wellness examination of wives and the health checkup of husbands across all age groups. After adjusting for covariates, prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals) for wives whose husbands underwent health checkups were 2.24 (2.09–2.40) for national health insurance, 1.18 (1.16–1.21) for employee insurance (employee), and 1.53 (1.44–1.63) for employee insurance (family) for health checkups. Similar trends were observed in cervical and breast cancer screening. Conclusions Wellness examinations of wives were associated with those of their husbands, suggesting that couples often share similar health-seeking behaviors. Hence, targeted interventions are important for couples who do not undergo wellness examinations.