2026-10-11T01:37:30Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33992806 2026-09-25T05:01:15Z category_427 portal_316 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Table 1_Joint trajectories of health behaviors and their associations with healthcare utilization and expenditure.docx Jeong Min Yang (25107481) Jang Mook Kim (23062712) Tae Su Jang (1613032) Jieun Hwang (4692595) Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified body mass index drinking health behavior healthcare service physical activity Objectives<p>This study identified sex-specific trajectories of key health behaviors among middle-aged and older adults and examined their longitudinal associations with healthcare utilization and expenditure.</p>Methods<p>We analyzed 167,343 Korean adults aged 40–79 years from 2002 to 2019 using the National Health Insurance Service Health Screening Cohort. Group-based multi-trajectory modeling identified joint trajectories of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and BMI. Associations with healthcare outcomes were assessed using generalized estimating equations stratified by sex and age group.</p>Results<p>Six distinct health behavior trajectories were identified in both sexes. Among men, the higher moderate-risk trajectory showed fewer outpatient visits but longer hospital stays. Among women, the higher severe-risk trajectory was associated with increased expenditures and higher healthcare utilization. Age-stratified analyses revealed stronger associations for severe-risk trajectories in men aged <65 years and lower severe-risk trajectories in those aged ≥65 years.</p>Conclusion<p>Sex- and age-specific behavioral trajectories were differentially associated with healthcare utilization and expenditure, underscoring the importance of multidimensional behavioral patterns in developing preventive strategies to reduce healthcare burdens.</p> 2026-09-25T05:01:15Z Dataset Dataset 10.3389/ijph.2026.1609686.s010 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Table_1_Joint_trajectories_of_health_behaviors_and_their_associations_with_healthcare_utilization_and_expenditure_docx/33992806 CC BY 4.0