printIgnoring Red Flags:
When Work Takes Priority Over Health
Chigrina V.P.
Leading Specialist, Department of Strategic Healthcare Development of the Russian Research Institute of Health Moscow, Russia. chigrinavp@mednet.ru
Tyufilin D.S.
Head of Department, Department of Strategic Healthcare Development of the Russian Research Institute of Health Moscow, Russia. tyufilinds@mednet.ru
Chigrina V.P., Tyufilin D.S. Ignoring Red Flags: When Work Takes Priority Over Health. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2025. No 9. P. 140-146
This article presents the results of a sociological study analyzing the factors influencing citizens’ decisions to seek medical care when experiencing warning symptoms. Based on a representative survey of 2,717 respondents from 85 regions of the Russian Federation, it was found that a significant proportion of the population tends to ignore potentially dangerous symptoms while continuing work activities. The study revealed that psychosomatic manifestations – such as apathy (83.5 %) and loss of appetite (84.5 %) – are most frequently disregarded, whereas objective pathological markers, including blood in urine (70.3 %) and chest pain (56.1 %), more often prompt individuals to seek medical attention. Statistical analysis identified significant correlations between delayed medical consultation and sociodemographic factors (male gender, younger age), low socioeconomic status, and psychological attitudes (fatalism, feelings of shame). To address this issue, comprehensive measures are needed, including raising public awareness about warning symptoms, emphasizing the importance of timely disease diagnosis, and improving healthcare accessibility.
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