Adult Preventive Care Timeline

The most important things you can do to prevent disease and be healthy are:

• Be tobacco free.
• Be physically active.
• Eat a healthy diet.

Get the right kinds of preventive health services—screenings, counseling, and preventive medicines—at the right times. This chart will tell you what you need and when you need it.

Heart Health

Blood Pressure

Men and women at least every 2 years: 18 years and older

Cholesterol

Men at risk: 18-35 years; 65 years and older
Men: 35-65 years
Women at risk: 18-45 years; 65 years and older
Women: 45-65 years

Diet

Men and women with high cholesterol and those at risk for heart disease and diabetes: 18 years and older

Diabetes

Men and women at risk for heart disease: 18 years and older

Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attack

Men at risk: 18-40 years
Men: 40 years and older
Women at risk: 18-50 years
Women: 50 years and older

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Once for men who have ever smoked: 65-75 years

Cancer

Breast Cancer

Women every 1 to 2 years: 40 years and older

Cervical Cancer

Women at least every 3 years: 18-65 years

Colorectal Cancer

Men and women: 50 years and older

Health Risks

Tobacco Use

Men and women: 18 years and older

Obesity

Men and women: 18 years and older

Alcohol Misuse

Men and women: 18 years and older

Sexual Health

Chlamydia

Women: 18-25 years
Women at risk: 25 years and older

Gonorrhea

Women: 18-25 years
Women at risk: 25 years and older

HIV

Men and women at risk: 18 years and older

Syphilis

Men and women at risk: 18 years and older

Bone Health

Osteoporosis

Women at risk: 60-65 years
Women: 65 years and older

Other

Depression

Men and women: 18 years and older

Immunizations

Flu

Men and women at risk: 18-65 years
Men and women, annually: 65 years and older

Pneumonia

Men and women, once: 65 years and older

There are some preventive services that people should take advantage of throughout their later adult years. These services are identified by arrows that continue past the last age category on the chart.

Other preventive services offer less benefit at older ages depending on health status. Older adults should talk with their doctors about the services identified by arrows to determine whether a preventive service is right for them.

These clinical preventive services are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. For additional materials, go to www.preventiveservices.ahrq.gov.

What does it mean to be "at risk?" You may be at increased risk for a specific disease or condition. Risk may be based on your family history, tobacco use, and other behaviors, such as lack of physical activity, or other health conditions, such as diabetes.

AHRQ Publication No. APPIP06-IP001
Current as of June 2006

Internet Citation:

Adult Preventive Care Timeline. AHRQ Publication No. APPIP06-IP001, June 2006. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/timelinead.htm

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