KNOW YOUR FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY

Not only do families share a household and holiday dinners, but they also share genes, behaviors, lifestyles, and often live in similar environments. These are all details that influence overall health, chronic diseases, and conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Individuals who have a close relative (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, sibling, or child) with a chronic disease or condition may have a higher risk of also having that same illness than someone who does not have a family history. Therefore, it is important to know what illnesses your relatives have experienced throughout their lifetime in order to better understand your risks.  Many of these diseases are preventable and taking precautions, such as eating a healthy diet, exercising, and being screened can help you to delay or avoid experiencing the same illnesses.

A complete family health history should include 3 generations of your biological relatives, diseases or conditions present, the age at diagnosis, and the age and cause of death of deceased family members.

How to Collect Your Family Health History

·     List names of close relatives and record conditions that each relative had or has and at what age the condition was first diagnosed. For relatives who are deceased, include the cause of death and age at death.

·     Use the US Surgeon General’s online tool for collecting family histories: My Family Health Portrait 

·     Bring your family health history to your doctor and discuss it with him/her.

·     Update your family health history as relatives are diagnosed with new conditions.

Take advantage of family gatherings to find out and share important health information. Just as knowing their experience benefits you, your experiences may benefit them, too.

Practice Prevention

As mentioned above, many chronic conditions can be prevented or delayed if preventive measures are practiced.

·     Eat a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.

·     Exercise consistently. How much physical activity do you need?

·     Participate in SCA’s annual health assessments to have your labs drawn and to learn how you can become healthier.

·     Visit your doctor annually to discuss your family history and to share your lab results. Talk to your doctor about additional ways to prevent the health conditions that run in your family.

·     Get screened at the appropriate age and frequency. Talk to your doctor about being screened early if a particular disease or condition runs in your family.