Routine Health Checks/Health Promotion
Over 6% of the general population of Leicester aged 40-74 will have more than a one in five chance of developing heart disease or having a stroke during the next ten years.
For a practice such as the Humberstone Medical Centre, this amounts to about 500 patients. For this reason it is important for people in this age group to undergo a risk assessment.
Health Risk Factors
You may be particularly at risk if you:
• Have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30kg/m2
• Have a waist circumference more than 102cm for men or 88cm for women
• Take less than 30 minutes of physical activity daily
• Don’t eat vegetables or fruit daily
• Smoke
• Drink more than the recommended number of units of alcohol per week
• Are being treated for high blood pressure
• Had a high blood sugar level in pregnancy
• Have a brother, sister or child with diabetes
• Come from an Asian background
If you are aged between 40 and 74 years of age, by having a routine health check you could reduce the chance of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and premature death and increase life expectancy.
Routine Health Checks – Details
It is thought that routine health checks could prevent 9,500 heart attacks and strokes occurring; 4000 cases of diabetes developing and save 2000 lives per year in the UK.
A routine check will usually consist of:
• Blood pressure check
• Cholesterol measurement
• Diabetes check
• Body mass index (BMI) calculation (height/weight)
• Urine analysis
• Smoking status
Routine checks are to be recommended every five years in a national programme due to commence in 2010, but if you feel you would like a routine health check before the programme starts then please
make an appointment with our practice nurse.
Female patients requiring breast awareness advice and cervical smear testing should make the receptionist aware when booking an appointment so that routine blood tests can be booked before the full health check appointment.
Associated Resources