Findings of anthropometric and laboratory data from adult health screening under the National Health Insurance plan in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: From April of 1996, all adults over 40 years old insured by the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan of Taiwan are eligible for a physical check-up once a year by most NHI-contracted family physicians. This study provides a benchmark data of their current physical health. METHODS: In total, 9,016 adult health examination reports were systematically sampled from 692,311 claims from April to September 1996. A subject profile included basic personal information, a physical examination, and routine blood and urine laboratory tests. The reliability of the data was verified by comparing the results of anthropometrical measures to others obtained from a nationwide nutrition survey. RESULTS: The mean height was 165 +/- 6.3 cm for men and 154 +/- 5.6 cm for women. Totally 54.3% of the people sampled were overweight, especially younger adults. The average systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 129+/- 19.9/80.9+/- 11.7 mmHg for men and 127.2 +/ -21.2/78.9 +/- 12.0 mmHg for women. There were 17.6% with high blood sugar, while only 8.0% were self-reported as diabetes mellitus (DM) sufferers. Women over 65 had higher cholesterol levels (>6.24 mmol/L) than did their younger peers and men. Men's blood triglyceride levels decreased from 1.74 to 1.28 g/L with age, while women's increased from 1.04 to 1.55 g/L with age. CONCLUSIONS: Taiwanese adults over 40 are 2-3 kg heavier and 2 cm taller than their counterparts 10 years ago, but may not be healthier. Future study may need to focus upon cost-effectiveness of this nationwide adult health screening program.