Five Minutes (or Less) for Health
Take five for your health! Being healthy and safe takes commitment, but it doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Most things are so simple and take so little time, that you’ll wonder why you’ve been avoiding them. Taking just a few of the 1440 minutes in a day is worth having a safer and healthier life for you and your family. Below are some steps you can take to help protect your health and safety in five minutes or less.
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One Minute or Less for Health
Take folic acid.
The B vitamin folic acid helps prevent certain birth
defects. If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and while
she is pregnant, her baby is less likely to have a major birth defect of
the brain or spine. All women who could possibly get pregnant should
take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day in a vitamin or in foods
that have been enriched with it.
Folic Acid
Wash hands.
Wash hands to lower the risk of spreading germs and getting
sick. It is best to wash hands with soap and clean running water for 20
seconds.
Clean Hands Save Lives
Check inspection scores.
If you’re planning a cruise, check cruise ship inspection scores before
your voyage. Cruise ships are subject to health and safety inspections twice
a year to ensure that vessels are maintaining adequate levels of sanitation
and to provide guidance to vessel staff when needed. CDC staff members
inspect cruise ships with a foreign itinerary that call on U.S. ports and
that carry 13 or more passengers.
Green Sheet Reports
Prevent poisonings.
Whether they're drugs, medications, or household chemicals,
follow instructions, and keep products out of the reach of children. Put the
poison control number (800-222-1222) on all phones, and make sure all family
members know when to call it.
Tips to
Prevent Poisonings
Protect your skin.
Wear sunscreen, seek shade, and cover up to help lower
your risk for sunburn and skin cancer. Wear insect repellent with DEET or
Picaridin to protect yourself from mosquito and tick bites, which can cause
disease. Reapply as directed in the instructions.
Fight the Bite: Prevent
West Nile Virus
Protect
Yourself from the Sun
Stop Ticks
Buckle up.
Lower the risk for motor vehicle-related injuries. Make sure
everyone is properly restrained in safety seats or safety belts. Placing
children in age- and size-appropriate restraint systems lowers the risk of
serious and fatal injuries by more than half.
Child Passenger
Safety
Click It or Ticket
Fight the urge to smoke or use tobacco.
The urge will usually pass in 2-3
minutes. When you feel the urge, do something else. Take deep breaths and
let them out slowly. Drink a glass of water. Carry things to put in your
mouth, such as gum, hard candy, or toothpicks. Smoking even a few cigarettes
a day and being around secondhand smoke (smoke from someone else smoking)
can hurt your health. The only safe choice is to quit completely.
I Quit!
Protect your hearing.
Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common occupational diseases and the second most self-reported occupational illness or injury. Use hearing protectors such as ear plugs and ear muffs when you can’t lower noise to a safe level.
Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention
Wear a life jacket.
All boat occupants should wear a
life jacket to lower the risk of drowning. U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets
are now more attractive in appearance and comfortable to wear. When properly
fitted, a life jacket can help prevent a tragedy.
Boating Safety
Read food labels.
See how much fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, protein,
and other ingredients are in the product. Note what the serving size is to
make sure you don’t eat more calories than you think you’re getting.
Tipping the Scales in Your Favor
Place infants back-to-sleep.
To help lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS), always place infants on their backs (face-up) when they are resting,
sleeping, or left alone.
Safe Sleep
Environment
Send a health-e-card.
Health-e-cards are a quick and easy way to remind someone that you care
about their health. Choose from a growing list of electronic greeting
cards featuring a variety of health and safety topics.
CDC E-Cards
Five Minutes or Less for Health
Test smoke alarms.
Every month, check your smoke alarms to ensure they
work properly. Check or replace the battery to your smoke alarm and
carbon monoxide detector when you change the time on your clocks each
spring and fall. If the alarm or detector sounds, leave your home
immediately, and call 911.
Fire Deaths and
Injuries: Fact Sheet
Fire
Deaths and Injuries: Prevention Tips
You Can Prevent Carbon
Monoxide Exposure
Do a skin and body check.
Check your skin and body regularly for lumps, rashes, sores, discolorations, limitations, and other changes. Do checks during and after bathing. Take note of other changes such as those related to urine or bowel habits, thirst, hunger, fatigue, discharge, vision, and weight. If you find or experience anything suspicious, see your health care provider.
Checking Yourself Out
Diseases and Conditions
Healthy Living
Kinds of
Screening Tests for Breast Cancer
Make an appointment.
Whether you need a yearly check-up, vaccination, vision check, dental exam, blood pressure check, mammogram, Pap test, prostate check, STD test, blood test, or other exam or screening, don’t put it off any longer. Make the appointment now.
Get Routine Exams and
Screenings
Things to Do Before
Your Next Check-Up
Diseases and Conditions
Oral Health for Adults
Vaccines and Immunizations
Women:
Stay Healthy at Any Age- Your Checklist for Health (AHRQ)
Men: Stay
Healthy at Any Age- Your Checklist for Health (AHRQ)
Know your numbers.
Keep track of your numbers for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol,
body mass index (BMI), and more. These numbers can provide a glimpse of your
health status and risk for certain diseases and conditions, including heart
disease, diabetes, obesity, and more. Be sure to ask your health care
provider what tests you need and how often. If your numbers are too high or
too low, he/she can make recommendations to help you get them to a healthier
range.
Body Mass Index
Diabetes Publications (NIH)
High Blood Pressure Fact Sheet
HIV Testing: Questions and Answers
One Test. Two Lives. HIV Testing during Pregnancy
Make sure you are up-to-date on your vaccinations.
Keep track of your and your family's vaccinations, and make sure they
stay up-to-date. Children, young adults, and older adults all need
vaccinations. Vaccinations help protect people from diseases and save lives.
Basics and Common
Questions about Vaccines
Eat healthy.
Just take an extra minute to make better food choices. Eat more
fruits and vegetables as a meal, less saturated fat, and healthy grab-and-go
snacks. There are many quick and easy ways to add healthier choices to your
day.
Get Smart with
Fruits and Veggies
How to Avoid Portion Size Pitfalls to Help Manage Your Weight
Nutrition for Everyone: Quick Tips
Wash children’s hands and toys regularly.
Hands and toys can become
contaminated from household dust or exterior soil, both of which are sources of
harmful lead.
Tips to Prevent Lead
Exposure
Learn the signs for developmental problems.
Check to see if your children can
do the things associated with their age. From birth to 5 years, your
children should reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, and act. A
delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental problem.
Learn the Signs. Act
Early.
Know the signs and symptoms for heart attack and stroke.
If you or
someone you know is having a heart attack or stroke, call 911 immediately.
With timely treatment, a person's chance of surviving a heart attack is
increased, and the risk of death and disability from stroke can be lowered.
Heart Attack
Signs and Symptoms
Know the Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke
Take a break.
If you think you’re getting sick, feel yourself losing
control, or are dealing with stress, take a break. Just taking a few minutes
can give you the opportunity to clear your head so you can make better
decisions about your and your family’s health and safety.
Child
Maltreatment: Prevention Strategies
Coping with a Disaster or
Traumatic Event
Take care of your teeth and gums.
Drink fluoridated water and use a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride's protection against tooth decay works at all ages. Brush and floss your teeth thoroughly to reduce dental plaque and help prevent gingivitis (a form of gum disease).
Keep foods safe.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Bacteria can grow quickly
at room temperature, so refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to
be eaten within 4 hours. Wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they
have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another
food. Wash produce. Cook meat, poultry, and eggs thoroughly. Report
suspected foodborne illnesses to your local health department.
What Can Consumers Do to Protect Themselves from Foodborne Illness?
Fight Bac (PFSE)
Be active.
Take a few extra minutes throughout the day to get some physical
activity. For example, park further away from the door, take the stairs
instead of the elevator, dance to your favorite song, or do your errands on
foot rather than in the car. Adults should get a total of 30 minutes and
children should get 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most,
preferably all, days of the week. If you can’t do the total amount at once,
do it in shorter, more frequent intervals throughout the day. Physical
activity does not need to be hard to give you health benefits.
Physical
Activity for Everyone
StairWELL to Better Health
Strength Training for Older Adults: Safety
Tips for
Being More Active
Know your family’s health history.
If you have a close relative with a chronic disease, such as heart
disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer, then you could have an increased risk
for developing that disease. Keep track of your family health history by
writing down the health conditions of each family member. Take a few minutes
to update this information from time to time. This way, you'll have
organized and accurate information ready to share with your health care
provider. Family health history can help him/her determine which tests and
screenings you should have. In many cases, adopting a healthier lifestyle
can lower your risk for diseases that run in your family.
Family History:
Resources and Tools
My Family Health Portrait (U.S. Surgeon General)
Ask questions.
Don’t risk injury or other problems because you are not clear on what to do. If instructions are confusing, get help. Talk to your health care provider. Call or visit the website of the pharmacy, clinic, equipment manufacturer, or business for information. Make sure you use credible sources and websites and ask your health care provider if the information you found applies to you. Before seeing your health care provider, write down all of your questions and bring the list with you to your appointment. Write down the answers during your discussion. Make sure all of your questions are answered before you leave and you know exactly what the next steps are. With more knowledge, you can make better decisions about your health.
Take a health and safety quiz.
Quizzes and other tools are available to help you find out if you and
your family are at higher risk for certain diseases or conditions. Discuss
concerns with your health care provider and family.
Family Health and Safety Quizzes
Listen to a health podcast.
Podcasts on a variety of health and
safety topics are available online. Most are one to five minutes long, and
some are longer.
Podcasts at CDC
More Than Five Minutes and Worth It
Be prepared.
Practice family drills at home to make sure everyone knows exactly what
to do in case of an emergency. Although some people feel it is impossible to
be prepared for unexpected events, the truth is that taking preparedness
actions helps people deal with disasters of all sorts much more effectively
when they do occur. Have an escape plan in case of fire or other emergency,
and practice it as part of your family drills. Know your local weather
conditions and forecast so you can prepare for any severe weather.
Emergency Preparedness and
You
Fire Deaths
and Injuries: Prevention Tips
Natural Disasters and Severe
Weather
Prevent falls.
Check for hazards around the home to prevent falls. Each
year, thousands of older Americans fall at home. Falls are often due to
hazards that are easy to overlook but easy to fix.
Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults
Get involved.
Get to know the people your children are around on a regular basis.
Engage in conversation, participate in activities, review Internet networks to people and sites, observe, and learn more. Talk to your kids
about how to protect themselves from disease and injury and to avoid risky
behaviors related to tobacco, sex, and more.
Got a Minute? Give It to Your Kid
Injury and
Violence
Sexual
Risk Behaviors
Tobacco Use and
the Health of Young People
Youth Tobacco
Prevention
Youth Violence
Prevention
Monitor Your Child’s
Activities (SAMHSA)
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Page last modified: September 5, 2008
Page last reviewed: January 24, 2008