Preventive Care: Small Steps, Big Health Benefits

January 13, 2025

Female doctor talking with senior woman in waiting room

Taking one hour out of your year to be proactive about your health can safeguard you for years to come. Family medicine doctor, Susan Ratay, DO, explains how an annual visit to a primary care physician has benefits for your health today and into the future.

Spotting Health Trends

According to the CDC, if everyone received the recommended preventive care, more than 100,000 lives could be saved each year. Consistent monitoring of weight, blood pressure and other vital statistics help identify trends so health issues can be treated—or even prevented.

“Over time, the value of an annual checkup isn’t just what’s happening at the visit. It’s being able to look back at the year before, two years before, five years before, 10 years before,” says Dr. Ratay. “If we compare your vitals to other years, we can see changes and trends that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.”

Family History

If you catch chronic illness and disease early, it can greatly alter the course, the duration and the treatment of those for many years to come. Sharing a family history of chronic diseases like thyroid disorder, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or more serious health events like strokes, heart attacks or cancer, can make all the difference. Your provider can be more aggressive about screening, either starting earlier or more frequent screenings depending on your risk factors.

“It's also an opportunity to have a larger conversation about your health,” says Dr. Ratay. “What does your diet look like? Do you consume a lot of salts? Are you finding time to exercise? What is your stress level? All these lifestyle behaviors that can greatly affect or contribute to chronic diseases and ailments.”

Key Vitals

Some people don’t want to go to the doctor because they don’t want to be weighed, but it’s an important driver of overall health. Obesity is typically a slow, progressive condition that is now considered a chronic disease.

By looking at your weight and other important vitals over time, your primary care checkups can help support health in a variety of ways. Are you maintaining some sort of physical activity? Have you had a job shift? How did COVID affect you? Routine bloodwork at a primary care visit can help identify medical reasons for weight gain or other health issues.

Vaccines & Boosters

Many adults aren’t aware that even if they received childhood immunizations, they may need boosters to maintain protection. Also, as you age, certain diseases like shingles and pneumonia are more likely to occur and can pose a serious health threat in some people. Being vaccinated can prevent or lessen the severity of disease in people of all ages.

Diabetes

In the United States, about 30% of people who have diabetes don’t know they have it. And almost half of those being treated aren’t successfully controlling their disease. If diabetes isn’t managed, high blood sugar can affect tiny blood vessels and nerves throughout the body. Over time, some of that damage can’t be reversed. Diabetes is the leading clause for blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes, so it’s important to start treatment as early as possible.

Sexual Health

A primary care visit supports sexual health across the lifespan. Your primary care provider can prescribe birth control and order screenings for common infections, including HPV. It’s also a good time to discuss sexual function issues or age-related changes including menopause. A variety of treatment options exist for men and women.

Mental Health

Primary care providers can treat depression, anxiety and emotional distress related to grief. You can bring up any concerns about your mental or emotional health. Depending on your symptoms, your primary care provider may prescribe antidepressants, give you a referral for counseling or both.

Age-Related Health Issues

Many health issues start sneaking up on people in their 40s and 50s, says Dr. Ratay. The value of seeing a primary care physician over time is identifying any changes and ensuring you’re up to date on screening guidelines. But it’s never too late to identify and treat age-related health issues.

High Cholesterol. This is a common health issue that becomes more common with age. It’s linked to family history, diet and lifestyle. Men in particular are at higher risk when they approach their 50s. You and your doctor will discuss your diet, your lifestyle and whether it makes sense to start a medication.
Thyroid Disorder. For women in their 40s, thyroid function can start to slow down. A simple blood test measures levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) over time. If it changes, it can be an indication that the thyroid is stressed and when there may be a need for supplemental thyroid medication.
Sleep Apnea. In addition to affecting energy and mood levels, sleep apnea is a precursor to cardiovascular disease. The earlier it’s caught, the less strain it puts on your heart which can reduce the risk of AFib, high blood pressure and cardiac events.
Prostate Cancer. As a man ages, the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) typically increases, which can be an indicator of prostate cancer. Taking a baseline and monitoring PSA levels over time with a simple blood test can help monitor and detect cancer in the prostate.
Breast Cancer. At age 40, women start annual breast screening through a mammogram. Women with a family history or other risk factors should start sooner, which is why it’s important to have the conversation early with a provider.