Italians avoiding dental and eye exams, survey finds

(ANSA) - Rome, June 25 - Italians tend to avoid medical checks of their eyes and teeth but are more likely to have their blood tested, according to a survey conducted by a health research institute.
    The information was designed to understand how Italians view health check-ups and the value of preventative medicine, according to the Demoskopea research organization which gathered the data.
    A sample of 37,000 people between 18 and 65 years in the survey conducted for Dottori.it found that more than four in 10 Italians claimed they had blood tests done in the previous six months before they survey.
    Another 18% admitted they had not had any blood samples taken in at least two years with younger people proving the most inattentive - almost 29% of people between 18 and 24 had not had any blood tests in the previous two years.
    The survey also found that almost 23% of Italians had not had a dental checkup in more than two years.
    Routine eye exams were also a low priority, which almost 30% saying they had not had their vision tested in more than two years.
    Considered another way, only about 23.4% said they had taken an eye exam in the previous six months.
    Again, the figures were worse among 18- to 24-year-olds, with almost 46% in that age bracket saying they had not had a vision exam for more than two years.
    Even worse, almost 70% of people between 55 and 65 years had not had a recent eye exam, as only 29.4% said they had a vision text in the previous six months.
    The worst record for health tests had been found in the southern half of Italy as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, said the survey.
    Liguria also tended to have a poor record while the most conscientious in terms of preventative care were found in the Emilia Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Lazio regions. The survey findings released publicly did not give reasons why dental and vision exams were less frequent, but cost may be a factor.