The most overlooked health checks

Cost is one of the biggest barriers preventing Australians from keeping up with health checks. Almost half of respondents (48.9%) said cost was the main reason they delayed or skipped dental check-ups, highlighting the ongoing impact of cost-of-living pressures and the high price of dental care in Australia. Affordability was also a key issue for physiotherapy, with more than a third of those (36.7%) who delayed or skipped sessions citing cost as the main factor. Around one in four Australians also said cost was the primary reason for putting off GP appointments, skin checks, eye exams, health screenings, and mental health consultations. 

Despite Australia having one of the highest melanoma rates in the world, nearly three in ten (29.3%) of those who delayed or skipped a skin check said they simply didn’t think it was necessary. Similar attitudes applied to hearing tests (42.4%) and vaccinations (37%), with many Australians believing these checks were unnecessary, even when recommended or required. 

Anxiety or fear also played a role, particularly around mental health consultations, where more than one in ten (10.2%) said they avoided therapy because of fear about the process or potential results, pointing to a lingering stigma around mental health. 

Access issues were another factor, most commonly affecting GP appointments, with 8.8% saying they skipped or delayed visits due to difficulty getting an appointment. Busy schedules also contributed, with 15.5% citing lack of time as the reason for missing GP appointments, and 16.8% saying the same for eye exams. 

How gender influences delayed and skipped health checks 

When it comes to routine health checks, women delayed or skipped an average of 57.7% of the appointments relevant to them, compared to 61.3% for men. The biggest gender gap was seen in mental health consultations and therapy sessions, where women were 26.8% more likely than men to follow through when recommended. This was followed by physiotherapy, with women 21.9% more likely to attend their appointments. Conversely, men were more likely to complete skin checks (13% higher) and hearing tests (4.1% higher) when recommended. 

Differences were also evident in the reasons behind delayed or skipped health checks. When it came to dental check-ups, cost and affordability were significantly bigger barriers for women, with rates 34.8% higher than men. Men, on the other hand, were more evenly split, citing both cost (40%) and feeling the check was unnecessary (23.4%) as the main reasons for skipping or delaying appointments.  

Delaying or skipping health checks due to anxiety and fear was generally higher for women than for men, particularly for skin checks (6.4% vs 3.4%), health screenings (9.2% vs 4.5%) and mental health consultations (13.4% vs 7.3%).  

How age influences delayed and skipped health checks 

Age makes a noticeable difference when it comes to routine health checks. Australians over 65 are the most likely to attend health checks when recommended, across almost all types of appointments. The exception is mental health, where their attendance rates are similar to other age groups outside the 55–64 bracket. Over-65s also have the highest rate of skipping mental health consultations or therapy sessions, with more than half (51.8%) missing these appointments, higher than any other health check or age group. 

GP appointments are largely non-negotiable for this age group, with 86% attending when required and just 3.5% skipping. Younger adults were more likely to skip (around 12%) or delay (about 43%) GP visits. Attendance at dental appointments was low for most age groups under 65, with roughly one in three attending as recommended; however, adherence improved with age. 

Cost and affordability remain major barriers, particularly for dental care. At least 38% of each age group cited cost as their main reason for delaying or skipping appointments, peaking at 61.7% among 55–64-year-olds. Time pressures also played a role, especially for people in their prime working years, with busy schedules or lack of time commonly cited as reasons for delaying appointments. 

How location influences delayed and skipped health checks 

Dental check-ups are a particular concern in South Australia, where almost three in four (72.5%) people delayed or skipped appointments, with 29% skipping entirely, the highest rate nationally. All other states also reported high rates of skipping or delaying dental appointments, above 60%. GP appointments show a similar pattern. South Australians had the highest number of people delaying appointments at 37.1%. Overall, just over half of South Australians (54.8%) visited their GP on time, compared with over 61% in all other states.  

Skin checks were most consistently completed on time in Western Australia, with almost one in three people attending as recommended. Other states hovered around one in four, whereas South Australia and Victoria showed particularly concerning results, with almost half skipping the check entirely.  

One area where South Australia excels more than other states is with its physiotherapy appointments. The state had the highest percentage of people attending appointments on time (34.3%) and the lowest rate of people skipping or delaying appointments (65.7%).  

Mental health consultations were most often skipped in New South Wales/the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, with around four in ten missing appointments. WA saw the highest delays to attending recommended appointments, with fewer than a quarter of people attending on time (24.3%).  

Barriers also varied by state. For GP appointments, cost was a key concern in South Australia and Victoria (around one in three), while Queensland faced the highest access issues (13.9%) and time pressures (20.8%). Anxiety was a major factor for skin checks in WA (double other states) and for mental health appointments in NSW/ACT (14.3%), while cost remained a barrier across most states.