Introduction. The aging of the population is the most important global challenge, which is associated with an increase in the burden on the healthcare system, as it is accompanied by an increase in morbidity and the need for medical care. In these conditions, the importance of rational medical behavior of the elderly increases as a factor in maintaining health, functional independence and quality of life. Identification of factors influencing the medical activity of older people is necessary to develop effective measures to increase access to medical care and adherence to treatment among the elderly population. Purpose of the study. To evaluate the medical activity of people over working age in the Russian Federation and identify the factors influencing it. Materials and Methods. As part of the work, an observational one-stage study was conducted with a survey of 3,942 respondents over the working age from 42 regions of the Russian Federation. The analysis was carried out according to five groups of factors: healthcare, socio-economic, personal, environment and barriers. The survey was conducted in 16 hospitals of war veterans among Russian citizens: men over 60 years old and women over 57 years old. The study was approved by the ethics committee. Results. The majority of respondents (77.6%) demonstrated rational medical activity — they turned to doctors when they had health problems. The remaining 22.4% resorted to an irrational strategy — self-medication, the help of friends or traditional healers. A high level of trust in medical professionals was reliably associated with rational behavior. Among the respondents with national medical activity, people under the age of 70, with higher or medical education, who consume alcohol and tobacco, as well as those who received health information from non-professional sources were more likely. The factors that most significantly influenced the behavior pattern included age, self-assessment of health, level of education, and the nature of information provided by the health system. Discussion. The results of the study emphasize the importance of trust in medical professionals, a positive subjective assessment of health status, and regular interaction with a doctor as factors contributing to rational medical behavior. Paradoxical dependencies were revealed: people with very poor health and a high level of education were less likely to seek help when they had health problems. People over the working age with an insufficient level of trust in medical professionals, high self-esteem of health, or a belief in the ineffectiveness of medical care remain vulnerable. Conclusions. According to the study, the key factors of medical activity were the level of trust in the healthcare system, age and educational characteristics, as well as a subjective assessment of the state of health, which should be taken into account when organizing medical care for the elderly population.