Why do older people not use the public health services of the integrated aging program? A multidimensional approach in a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: The world’s population is aging rapidly and a huge amount of services are being provided to meet the needs of the older people. Identifying the factors affecting the non-attendance of the older people to health care centres is of particular importance. We focused on the reasons why older people do not use the services of the integrated aging program in Iran from the perspective of the older people, general practitioners, and primary health providers. METHODS: A qualitative study in Ghaemshahr (IRAN) carried out during 2021. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in two groups with the participation of 29 older adults and 18 employees of the health centres Purposeful sampling and sample size were determined based on data saturation. Data were analyzed manually using conventional content analysis. RESULTS: Potential barriers to and challenges of older adults were generally categorized into four main themes including individual, systemic-structural, environmental, and social factors. CONCLUSIONS: Both groups agreed on many aspects, including lack of education of the patients and lack of proper medical services. Existing problems in health care relate to both medical and non-medical factors. Improvement in health care delivery requires a deliberate focus on the patients’ specific needs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08689-6.