Why Family Health History is Important

National Family Health History Day, observed annually on Thanksgiving, is a great reminder to gather important information about your family’s health. Understanding your family’s health history can help you and your healthcare provider identify potential risks for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. This knowledge allows for earlier interventions and screenings that could significantly impact your long-term health.

Why It Matters

Family members often share not only genes but also habits, lifestyles, and environments, all of which contribute to the risk of various health issues. The CDC highlights that collecting a detailed family health history can guide conversations with your healthcare provider, helping to create a personalized screening and prevention plan.

What to Include in Your Family Health History

To start, collect information about your parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family including:

  • Major medical conditions (e.g., heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes)

  • Age at diagnosis

  • Cause of death, if applicable

  • Age of death

  • Ethnic background

  • Lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol use, or diet

Talk to Your Provider

Once you’ve gathered your family health history, share it with your healthcare provider. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that your provider can use this information to recommend screenings or lifestyle changes to help you manage your risk. For example, someone with a family history of colon cancer might need earlier and more frequent screenings.

Resources

For more guidance on creating a family health history, the following resources offer valuable tools and information:

POSTTracey CarlsonHPM, family health history