Web produced by: Jessica Noll
As 2009 kicks off, many begin the year with great intentions to fulfill healthy New Year’s resolutions.
While giving up sweets and taking on new exercise routines are great efforts to a healthier you, the American Cancer Society can help you devise a plan to not only fulfill a resolution, but also decrease your cancer risk.
The American Cancer Society’s Great American Health Check is part of the American Cancer Society Great American Health Challenge, a year-round initiative encouraging Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce their risk of cancer.
The Great American Health Check urges individuals to remember that getting the appropriate cancer screening tests can detect the disease at its earliest, more treatable stage.
The Great American Health Check focuses on the importance of prevention and early detection by helping individuals understand what cancer tests are right for them and how to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors throughout the year that may reduce their risk of the disease.
The Great American Health Check consists of many resources, including an online health tool available, click here, where individuals can access a personalized guide on which cancer screening tests are appropriate, as well as healthy behavior recommendations based on their responses. This Great American Health Check online evaluation is easy-to-use and confidential.
The interactive tool allows users to enter age, gender, height, weight, family history of cancer, dietary habits, physical activity levels, and alcohol and tobacco use for themselves or a loved one. The tool in turn provides recommendations for diet, physical activity, and tobacco cessation to help lower a person’s risk for certain cancers.
Users can also learn which cancer early detection tests they should take to find cancer early when treatment is more likely to be successful, or to reduce their risk of cancer through healthy behavior recommendations.
The five-year survival rate for cancers that can be prevented or detected earlier by screening is about 86 percent, a percentage which reflects real reductions in cancer deaths as well as earlier diagnosis because of screening.
There is strong scientific evidence that healthy dietary patterns such as eating five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day, in combination with regular physical activity, are needed to maintain a healthy body weight and reduce cancer risk.
The Great American Health Check’s purpose is to improve your life by providing all the necessary information and screening guidelines to keep you or your loved one cancer free and healthy.
It is the American Cancer Society’s hope that the Great American Health Check gives people the opportunity to take charge of their health, including making lifestyle changes that can make a big difference, and possibly reduce their risk of cancer and other diseases. It is never too late to start making steps to a healthier and happier living.
More information on the Great American Health Challenge is available at Cancer.org/GreatAmericans.
For cancer information anytime, day or night, call (800) ACS-2345 or click here.
