Key result
Engagement with the NHS Health Check service was highest among South Asian patients (21%–68%) and lowest among Chinese patients (12%–61%), highlighting overall inadequate utilization.
Why the study?
Cardiovascular diseases disproportionately affect minority ethnic communities in the UK, prompting an investigation into their engagement with the NHS Health Check screening scheme.
Does the NHS Health Check scheme effectively engage ethnic minority populations for cardiovascular risk assessment in the UK?
Systematic Review (n=6,622,374)
Does the NHS Health Check scheme effectively engage ethnic minority populations for cardiovascular risk assessment in the UK?
The NHS Health Check is underutilized by patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly among Chinese and White patients, highlighting the need for improved primary care engagement strategies.
Inadequate NHS Health Check engagement across ethnic groups warrants targeted primary care strategies; leaves open optimal interventions to improve uptake.
Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) affect around 7.6 million people in the UK, disproportionately affecting the minority ethnic community. In 2009, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) launched a Health Check (NHSHC) scheme to improve early diagnosis of various clinical conditions, including CVD, by screening patients for associated risk factors. This systematic review investigated the engagement of minority ethnic groups with these services. Methods: Seven studies identified patient demographics of NHSHC attendees using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic And Meta Analysis-Diagnostic Test Accuracy (PRISMA-DTA) guidelines and accessing Ovid (MEDLINE), PubMed and Web of Science databases. Results: The screening was either by invitation or opportunistic at other appointments with their doctor. Engagement with the service was highest among the South Asian patients (21%-68%), but lowest amongst Chinese patients (12%-61%). Further, engagement was lower among those screened following a formal invitation than those seen opportunistically. However, a greater proportion of patients were screened opportunistically than by invitation. Conclusions: Overall, we found that the NHSHC is not being utilised adequately for all patients at high risk of CVD, particularly White and Chinese patients. It highlights the critical role of primary care could play to improve patient engagement with the service.
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Karia et al. (2025) conducted a systematic review in Cardiovascular disease risk assessment (n=6,622,374). NHS Health Check (NHSHC) vs. Different ethnic groups was evaluated on Engagement/attendance with the NHSHC service. Engagement with the NHS Health Check service was highest among South Asian patients (21%–68%) and lowest among Chinese patients (12%–61%), highlighting overall inadequate utilization.
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