New research indicates that 48 percent of older adults have purchased at least one at-home medical test, and about 82 percent expressed interest in using them in the future.
About 32 percent of people said they had purchased COVID-19 tests, and 74 percent said that at-home tests are more convenient than ones taken through a healthcare provider. Additionally, 59 percent agree that at-home tests can be trusted to provide reliable results, according to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, published Oct. 13.
Adults aged 50 to 64 were more likely than those aged 65 to 80 to have purchased a COVID-19 test. Adults with higher levels of education, in higher-income households, and who were married or partnered were also more likely to have bought a COVID-19 test or any other type of at-home medical test, according to an Oct. 13 news release.
"As more companies bring these direct-to-consumer tests to market, and buy ads promoting them, it's important for health care providers and policymakers to understand what patients might be purchasing, what they're doing with the results, and how that fits into the broader clinical and regulatory picture," said Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, director of the National Poll on Healthy Aging.