Healthy Living Messages

• Be Physically Active
• Eat Wisely
• Strive for a Healthy Weight
• Get Recommended Screening Tests & Immunizations
• Be Involved in Your Health Care
• Be Tobacco Free
• Limit Alcohol
• Manage Stress
• Be Safe
  

• Every person is different. Refer to the websites below to see which preventive services are recommended for you, based on your age, gender, health status, and family history. Talk with your health care team about the recommendations that are right for you.
• Most Veterans, regardless of age, gender, health status and family history, should be screened for alcohol abuse, depression, high blood pressure, HIV, military sexual trauma, obesity, PTSD, and tobacco use. Most Veterans should receive a flu shot every year and tetanus shot once every 10 years.
• If you are a woman who is considering pregnancy, it is important to check with your health care team to be sure you are up-to-date with immunizations.
• All preventive services have pros and cons. Depending on your preferences, you may wish to receive additional, fewer, or different services from those that are recommended.

More Information:

• Men Stay Healthy at 50+ :
  www.ahrq.gov/ppip/men50.htm*
• Women Stay Healthy at 50+ :
  www.ahrq.gov/ppip/women50.htm*
• Men Stay Healthy at Any Age :
  www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm*
• Women Stay Healthy at Any Age :
  www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm*
• Adult vaccination screening form:
  www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/adult-schedule.htm#everyone*
• "My Healthfinder":
  www.healthfinder.gov*
• Health Risk Assessment (under development) will be available to Veterans as an on-line tool in My HealtheVet
• Healthfinder: Get Screened
  www.healthfinder.gov/prevention/ * (Enter your information in the my healthfinder box and click on Get Started).

* Indicates that the link leads to a non-VA website. The VA is not responsible for the content that is on the site.

Supporting Information:

Definitions

• Clinical Preventive Service: A service delivered in the clinical setting for the primary prevention of disease, or for the early detection of disease in persons with no symptoms of the target condition, with the goal of preventing or minimizing future morbidity and mortality. Clinical preventive services typically include: screening tests (for infectious diseases; cancers; heart and vascular diseases; injury and violence; mental health conditions and substance abuse; metabolic, nutritional, endocrine, musculoskeletal, obstetric, and gynecological conditions; and vision disorders), immunizations, health behavior counseling, and preventive medications.
• Screening: An examination or testing of a person with no symptoms of the target condition to detect disease at an early stage when treatment may be more effective, or to detect risk factors for disease or injury.
• Health Behavior Counseling: A variety of individualized communication techniques and strategies used by health professionals to engage patients in the process of making health behavior changes to prevent disease, promote health, and enhance the quality of life.
• Immunization: The administration of vaccines, toxoids, or immunoglobulins with the goal of protecting susceptible patients from vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Preventive medications, substances, or devices: Drug products or other substances used by a person who is not known to have the target condition, with the goal of preventing future morbidity and mortality. This includes selected prevention supplies or commodities, such as condoms.

VA Policy

Handbook 1120.05 Coordination and Development of Clinical Preventive Services (10-13-09): www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2095

Source Documents

1. Men: Stay Healthy at 50+- Checklists for Your Health. AHRQ 2008;
   www.ahrq.gov/ppip/men50.htm, 08-IP002.
2. Women: Stay Healthy at 50+-Checklists for Your Health. AHRQ 2008;
   www.ahrq.gov/ppip/women50.htm, 08-IP001.
3. Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age- Your Checklist for Health. AHRQ 2007;
   www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm, 07-IP006-A.
4. Women: Stay Healthy at Any Age- Your Checklist for Health. AHRQ 2007;
   www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm, 07-IP005-A.