Health Checks - Your Annual Service – Why do we avoid them ?

In the West we spend a large proportion of income on purchasing and servicing our cars. Why ? Because we want to ensure reliability and avoid the risk of breaking down as we go to pick up the children, make that important meeting, or venture out socially. We want peace of mind, and we act preventatively to ensure that we have it. A few basic tests under the bonnet (or hood) ensure the engine is functioning as it should, and a roadworthy test ensures the bodywork is sound. It is an accepted part of our budget and whilst we may grumble about the cost every now and again, our spending on our pride and joy is rarely in question.

So, how can it be that the vast majority of us don’t consider our body’s worthy of the same tender loving care ? Whilst some companies insist that their senior executives go through a regular health check (out of corporate interest rather than any altruistic motive) there is little evidence to say that the rest of us are voluntarily following suit. Why ?

Maybe it’s partly because of the car, which has taken away our need for physical fitness to get around, that we have displaced our priorities from servicing ourselves to servicing our cars.

It’s certainly not down to cost or availability. The cost is comparable with a car service, dwarfed by our household costs, and we can walk into one of the many clinics off the street anytime and book ourselves in for an engine and body check. And it’s not that we are not aware that these services are there – they advertise widely now on TV and in pretty much any lifestyle magazine.

Do we think we are doing enough already ? The gym population has risen massively over the same period that awareness in health risks have become more publicly advertised by the state and through the press. Is it that we think a trip to the gym and eating a bit of fruit is sufficient maintenance ?

In my last company we offered to company employees (typically desk based) a basic 8-point health check (height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat and heart rate). This was funded by the company and provided free and confidentially to their employees together with a personal nutrition and activity plan that would address their health risks if they were to have any.

There were a couple of interesting points coming from this. Firstly, not everyone took up the opportunity despite the fact it was free and provided on-site. Perhaps either people believed themselves healthy enough, or alternatively did not want their fears of ill-heath confirmed. Maybe some were afraid of what we might find and that they might have felt obliged to adapt their lifestyle to bring their engine and bodywork up to scratch.

Secondly, of those participating over 50% had measures outside the normal range in at least one measure of which they were not aware – a significant proportion – and well over 70% saw great benefit in being alerted to this and ways to take corrective action. If nothing else this shows the great opportunity to identify health risks proactively and provide help in preventing onset of illness and disease – all from a simple health checks.

My own take on all this is that we simply do not have a culture of preventative healthcare. We rely heavily on, and place great trust in, the reactive healthcare systems in place to put us right when things go wrong. However, the evidence is there to show the benefits of a preventative approach. But to change our healthcare culture and help people realise the benefits of a this approach is an educational and a social challenge facing not only healthcare entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs but also the leaders in our Western societies. We all need to take responsibility to ensure the opoprtunity is not lost.