Does health screening inspire positive lifestyle change?
Dr John Coltart, MD FRCP FACC FESC Emiritus Consultant Physician and Cardiologist - April 4, 2011
There has been debate about the impact of health screening on lifestyle change and the extent to which people modify their lifestyles following the results of a health check (in either positive or negative ways).
In conjunction with a researcher from Addenbrookes hospital, Life Line Screening UK customers were recently surveyed regarding their lifestyles, in an attempt to better understand this.
When asked “Following your screening, did you make any positive changes to your lifestyle?”
o 51% stated that they had started eating more healthily
o 45% stated that they had started exercising more than before(and 18% of the total had tried a new exercise)
o 35% reported losing weight
o 71% had focused on keeping weight at a healthy level
o 60% were careful about alcohol consumption
o 52% commented that they were controlling their stress levels
o 30% reported that they had read more health-focussed publications
o 74% paid more attention to their overall health
o Only 7% of all responders commented that they had led a less-healthy lifestyle following their screening.
Click here to download the full report
