On Portfolios of Preventive Decisions for Multiple Health Risks – Evidence from US-Based Data

Individuals face multiple health risks and therefore can undertake many preventive activities simultaneously, thus creating a portfolio of preventive activities. In this article, we first investigate the determinants likely to influence the composition of portfolios of preventive activities. Second, we look at the interactions between preventive activities. We use the US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data set conducted in 2016, comprising 22,510 observations from 50 states and US territories. Our results show that information-related variables, in particular, being aware of illness, having access to information and having a personal doctor, increase the portfolio size of preventive activities. We also show that vaccinations tend to be performed together with screening activities and to a lower extent with exercising.