TOPSHAM – The American Cancer Society is celebrating another year with the Great American Health Check on Thursday, Jan. 17, by asking Americans to remember that getting the appropriate cancer screening tests that can detect the disease at its earliest, most treatable stage can save lives.
The health check is an online health evaluation tool available at www.cancer.org/greatamericans, where users can 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.
Easy-to-use and confidential, this interactive online 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, and the resulting health action plan that is created can be shared with your doctor or health care provider.
According to Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts & Figures 2007, much of the suffering and death from cancer could be prevented by reducing or eliminating tobacco use, improving diet and physical activity, and expanding the use of established screening tests. Cancers that can be prevented or detected earlier by screening account for about 50 percent of all new cancer cases.
The Great American Health Check is part of the American Cancer Society Great American Health Challenge, a year-round initiative that encourages Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce their risk of cancer. More information on the Great American Health Challenge is available at www.cancer.org/greatamericans or by calling 1-800-ACS-2345.
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