A peek into the past can reveal a lot about your future.
Family health history is the story of diseases that run in your family. It is one part of the entire history of your family. Along with culture, values, environment, and behaviors, family health history influences the way you live your life. Learning about your family health history can help you make healthy choices: it is a cheap, easy way to improve your own health and the health of your family. Share the information you gather with your healthcare provider to further reduce your risk of disease and create a partnership around your health.
Check out the Does It Run In the Family? toolkit in English and Spanish, for more information on why family health history is important, how to collect it, and what types of conditions run in the family.
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A Guide to Family Health History is available in Chinese
“Conversations about family health history should be ongoing, not a one-time topic to be discussed and forgotten. What you learn can shape your future and even save your life.”
– Sharon Terry, President & CEO, Genetic Alliance
Check out our family health history public service announcement
. View several different versions on the Genetic Alliance YouTube Channel.
TIPS FOR COLLECTING YOUR FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY
Collect stories about your heritage and culture. This is an excellent opportunity to preserve your family’s memories.
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- Talk to your family!
- Holidays and other family events (birthdays, weddings, religious gatherings) provide a great opportunity to ask family members about their lives.
- Plan individual conversations to get more information.
- Use what you have – existing charts or trees, photo albums, baby books, birthday date books, etc.
- Send a survey. This can be part of a holiday newsletter or school project.
What information should I collect?
Learn all you can about your family’s health: What diseases do/did they have? What was the age at onset of symptoms (when the disease started)?
Collect information on you, your parents, siblings, and children, and then move on to the extended family:
- name and relationship to you (myself, parent, child, etc.)
- ethnicity, race, and/or origins of family
- place and date of birth (or your best guess – for example “1940s”)
- if deceased, age and cause of death
- health history – include conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and when the disease started
- lifestyle (occupation, exercise, diet, habits such as smoking and regular doctor check-ups)
What should I do with the information I collect?
- Bring it to your healthcare provider. S/he might refer you to a genetics specialist or recommend early screening.
- Use it to make healthy lifestyle choices. You can change your diet and exercise habits to reduce your risk for many conditions.
- Share it with your family. Shared knowledge can lead to support.
- Keep adding to your family health history. It is a lifelong process!
For more family health history resources, click here.
