Ok, we just made that up, but here at GPC we are declaring 2024 the Year of the Health Check! During the emergency phase of the pandemic, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of people delaying or cancelling important preventive health checks and screening. There has been some catching up but there is still a way to go so we thought we would offer you a check-list of check-ups (has a nice ring to it!) you may be behind on and invite you to make 2024 your Year of the Health Check.
Why is this so important? Around a third of the total disease burden in Australia is due to preventable illness and what we call “modifiable risk factors”, things we can change or manage. There are just a few main culprits and some pretty simple tactics for reducing the risks.
The main culprits are:
- Tobacco
- High blood pressure
- Overweight and obesity
- High cholesterol
- Alcohol
- Low fruit and vegetable consumption
- Low levels of physical activity
The good news is that just a few key lifestyle choices can reduce the risk:
- Don’t smoke
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Be active
- Eat a balanced and nutritious diet
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Be sun smart
- Protect against infection (eg. up to date immunisations)
- Have regular check-ups and recommended screening tests
What are the recommended check-ups?
This depends on your age, gender, family history and any other risk factors that might be present. The best place to start is to have a chat with your GP about which ones are recommended for you. We have written about some of these before (follow the links where relevant) in this Check-list of Check-ups:
- Heart health check including blood pressure and cholesterol
- Cervical cancer screening
- Breast check
- Bowel screen
- Skin check
- Prostate check
- Over 75 health assessment
- Osteoporosis check
- Falls risk assessment
- Diabetes check
- Pre-conception check
- Mental health check
- Brain & cognitive health check
- Child health checks
- Asthma check and action plan
- Up to date immunisations
We think “Get all my health checks up-to-date” would be a fantastic New Years’ resolution for 2024! So why not tick a few of these off your to-do list?
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
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