Health Screenings by Age
All people need to have regular health screenings, and the list of necessary checkups grows longer as individuals age. It’s important to schedule an annual wellness visit and heed your doctor’s recommendations, but it’s also important to monitor your own needs. Knowledge is power, so make sure you’re aware of the preventive care measures you need to take at various stages of life.
To learn more, check out the infographic below, created by Maryville University’s online BSN to DNP program.
All people need to have regular health screenings, and the list of necessary checkups grows longer as individuals age. It’s important to schedule an annual wellness visit and heed your doctor’s recommendations, but it’s also important to monitor your own needs. Knowledge is power, so make sure you’re aware of the preventive care measures you need to take at various stages of life.
To learn more, check out the infographic below, created by Maryville University’s online BSN to DNP program.
Health Screening Recommendations by Age
General Health Screenings
For oral health, people of all ages should visit a dentist one to two times a year. Children should have basic vision and hearing screenings performed as part of their annual medical checkups. Adults ages 20 to 39 should have their vision tested every 10 years. Adults ages 40 to 64 should have their vision checked every two to four years, while adults 65 and up should have their vision tested every one to two years. Adults ages 18 to 49 should have their hearing tested every 10 years, and adults 50 and up should have their hearing tested every three years.
For cholesterol levels, children should be tested once between ages 9 and 11 and once between 17 and 21. Men ages 20 to 44 and women ages 20 to 54 should have their cholesterol tested every four to six years, while men ages 45 to 64 and women ages 55 to 64 should be tested every one to two years. All adults 65 and over should be tested annually.
Hepatitis C tests are not required, but adults ages 18 to 79 should be tested at least once in their lives, and all pregnant women should be tested during their pregnancy. All adults should receive regular sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV testing based on their sexual activity and risk factors. Similarly, people under 45 should be tested for diabetes if they have risk factors or are showing signs of diabetes, and adults over 45 should be tested every three years.
Adolescents and adults should receive regular mental health screenings.
When Do Required Screenings Change?
Male and Female Screenings
Female
Male
Cancer Screening Recommendations
Adults 18 and over should get moles checked for skin cancer every three years. Women 25 and over should be tested for cervical cancer every five years via HPV test. For breast cancer screenings, women 40 and up should get a mammogram every one to two years and a clinical breast exam yearly. Women ages 18 to 39 should get a clinical breast exam every three years.
Men age 55 to 69 may speak with their doctors to make an individual decision to receive a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, but regular screening for prostate cancer isn’t recommended. All adults 50 and over should get a colonoscopy every 10 years.
Adults age 50 to 80 with a 20-pack-year smoking history who smoke or have quit within the past 15 years should be tested annually for lung cancer. A “pack-year” is an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year.
Additional Preventive Care Measures
Utilizing Screening Results
As important as getting screened is, knowing your results and how to use them is just as critical. Make sure you get the results of screenings and talk with your doctor about what the results mean. If more testing is necessary, schedule those appointments as soon as possible.
Screenings are preventive care. Testing is important because it allows doctors to catch illnesses or risk factors before they become bigger problems. With regular screenings, cancer can be caught in its early stages.
Vaccinations
Birth to 15 Months
- Hepatitis B
- Final dose at age 18 months
- Rotavirus
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis
- Final dose at age 4 to 6
- Haemophilus influenza type B
- Pneumococcal conjugate
- Inactivated poliovirus
- Final dose at age 4 to 6
- Measles, mumps, and rubella
- Final dose at age 4 to 6
- Varicella
- Final dose at age 4 to 6
- Hepatitis A
- Final dose at age 19 to 23 months
18 Months to 18 Years
- Human papillomavirus
- Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis
- Meningococcal
- Final dose at age 16
19 Years to 65 Years
- Human papillomavirus
- Depending on the original schedule
- Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis
- Each pregnancy or for wound management
- Varicella
- Two doses if born after 1980
- Zoster recombinant
- Ages 50+
- Hepatitis B
- Meningococcal B
- Ages 19 to 23
Keeping Up with Your Health
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Should I Get Screened for Prostate Cancer?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Testing Recommendations for Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Screening America, Stroke Screening
UCLA Health, Preventive Health Screenings, By Age
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, High Blood Pressure in Adults: Screening