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Background: Saudi Arabia’s demographic composition is changing, and older adults are expected to represent an increasingly more significant portion of the population. There are notable gender differences in health status among older adults. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of common chronic conditions and healthcare utilization between older Saudi men and women. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design, and the sample included 400 men and 304 women (age ≥ 55 years) from Buraydah, Al-Qassim. Research assistants assessed self-reported demographics, lifestyle, and disease history. They measured the participant’s height, weight, blood pressure, and random blood glucose (using a glucometer). Logistic regressions were used to evaluate the association between chronic disease status (i.e., absence vs. presence) and healthcare utilization (i.e., annual health check-ups). Results: The mean and standard deviation for age and body mass index (BMI) were 62.0 ± 7.4 years and 30.3 ± 6.5 (kg/m2), respectively. The presence of chronic disease was high for both genders (87.0% Males vs. 86.2% females). However, a more significant proportion of men had hypertension (78.0% vs70.1%) and heart disease (17.0% vs 10.9%) compared to women. In comparison, women had a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes (54.9% vs. 45.5%), asthma (15.5% vs. 9.5%), and gastric peptic ulcer (17.1% vs 9.8%) than men. Women reported higher healthcare utilization and were three times more likely to have had a check-up than men. Conclusion: There are significant gender differences in chronic disease prevalence and healthcare utilization among older Saudi adults that warrant more research on this segment of the population.
Saquib et al. (Sat,) studied this question.