Why Health Screening Should Be Part of Your New Year’s Resolution
If you're looking to improve your eating habits, increase your level of physical activity or find ways to decrease your overall stress levels as a New Year's resolution, you may want to consider adding an additional resolution to your list that will have a significant impact on your overall health: scheduling a regular health screening.
Let’s take a look at the importance of health screenings, how they promote early detection and prevention of serious illnesses and provide tips for incorporating health screenings into your yearly health regimen.
What is Health Screening?
Health screening refers to a variety of medical tests and evaluations that are administered to patients who do not exhibit any obvious symptoms of disease. The primary objective of health screening is to detect any potential risk factors and/or diseases before a patient develops symptoms.
Examples of common types of health screenings include:
Blood pressure measurement
Cholesterol and blood glucose testing
Mammography and colonoscopies (for breast and colorectal cancer screening)
Pap smear (for cervical cancer screening)
Bone density testing
These types of screenings differ from diagnostic testing (which is typically used to diagnose symptoms).
Early Detection Saves Lives
The greatest advantage of regularly scheduled health screenings is the ability to detect diseases early, when they are most treatable.
Most chronic diseases (such as type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high choelsterol and some forms of cancer) develop symptom-free, while causing damage to the body. At this point, the disease has likely progressed far beyond the point where it can be effectively treated.
For example:
Type II Diabetes: High blood sugar can remain undetected for several years prior to the development of symptoms. During this time, it causes damage to the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.
Breast, cervical and colorectal cancers: Early detection improves survival rates and minimizes the need for aggressive treatment.
Improving Outcomes and Minimizing Complications
When health issues are identified early in their development:
Interventions are most successful
Complications are minimized
Quality of life is maintained
For example, identifying and treating pre-diabetes through diet and lifestyle modification may completely prevent the progression of those conditions to full-blown type II diabetes.
Prevention Is More Effective and Less Expensive Than Treatment
In addition to providing early detection of health issues, health screenings also facilitate preventive measures.
Identify Risk Factors
Screening for risk factors does not mean you have a disease, but rather, there is a possibility you may develop a condition at some point in the future. Examples of screenings for risk factors include:
High LDL cholesterol increasing risk of development of ischaemic heart disease and stroke
Elevated blood pressure increasing risk of development of ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure
If identified early, risk factor-based screenings allow for interventions such as lifestyle modifications and/or medication to potentially prevent the development of the associated disease.
Public Health Economics
From a public health standpoint:
Preventive care reduces long-term healthcare costs
Early intervention is less costly than treating and addressing complications of advanced disease
For the individual, early identification of health issues avoids prolonged periods of disability, high hospital bills and lost wages due to inability to work.
Tailored Health Information
Health screenings are not a "one size fits all" endeavor. Rather, they can be customized according to a patient's age, family history, lifestyle and current health conditions.
For example:
Adults between the ages of 40-60 may include a cholesterol panel, cardiovascular risk assessment, and various cancer screenings.
Older adults may benefit from bone density scans, cognitive evaluations and screening tests for age-related conditions
By personalizing each individual's health screening experience, you gain insight into your health that you can use to create a plan of action based on your own needs.
Promoting Accountability and Action
Creating a goal to schedule a health screening gives you something to hold onto and something to measure. This helps turn health from something vague and unmeasurable ("I'll try to eat better") to something concrete and measurable ("I'm going to eat better").
Building Habits
Scheduling annual health screenings encourages you to:
Continuously monitor your health
Reflect on improvements or decline
Create data-driven plans to make lifestyle changes
Enhancing Communication Between You and Your Healthcare Provider
By bringing your screening test results to your healthcare provider, you create a baseline for comparison and trending analysis. This enhances the ability of you and your provider to collaborate on developing strategies for treatment and prevention.
Reducing Health Anxiety Through Education
Interestingly enough, having knowledge of your health status can alleviate health anxiety, particularly if you've had concerns about your risk of disease without data to back up your worries.
Receiving a clean bill of health can be reassuring, while early findings give you a clear direction and plan of action.
With health screening, uncertainty is replaced by actionable steps.
How To Make Health Screening a Habit You Can Sustain
1. Be Very Clear About Your Goals
Instead of saying "I want to be healthier," try making a goal like: "I will complete my annual health screening by March 31."
2. Pair Your Screening Goals with Other Lifestyle Changes
For example, consider pairing completing your screening prior to beginning a fitness program. Alternatively, use your screening results as a basis for establishing diet or exercise-related targets.
3. Keep a Record of Your Results
Maintain a health journal or digital health record in which you log your biometric readings and note any trends or patterns. Share your results with your clinician at least once per year.
4. Tell Someone Else About Your Resolution
Having someone else who you can report back to regarding your progress may be helpful in maintaining accountability.
Making a New Year's resolution to receive health screenings is not merely checking off a box on your wellness to-do list, it is investing in your long-term health, productivity and quality of life.
Let us not simply make a wish this year for better health, let us take action on it. Begin by focusing on receiving screenings. Your future self will thank you.
Learn more about NOVI Assessment, for a fully personalized health assessment tailored to your needs.