Take Charge of Your Health

The sooner we understand the link between our family's health and our own, the sooner we can make changes and take steps to live longer, healthier lives. Family health history:

• Leads to conversations about health
• Helps healthcare providers diagnose conditions
• Tells you about your risk for specific diseases

The Does It Run in the Family? tool helps you create personalized booklets to start conversations about health in your family and community. You can use the tool to customize two booklets—in English or Spanish—that together will help you collect, organize, and understand family health history information and use what you learn to make positive health choices.

The first booklet, “A Guide to Family Health History,” covers the importance of knowing your family health history as well as the specific health information that should be collected. This booklet can be personalized with the following:

• personal health stories
• photos
• quotes
• family health history interview questions
• family tree information
• local resources, such as disease organization contact information and community-specific links

The tool includes libraries of stories, photos, and quotes for you to choose from, or you can enter your own.

The second booklet, “A Guide to Genetics and Health,” explains the basics of genetics and inheritance, as well as common health conditions that run in families (including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer). You can tailor this booklet with disease information that is relevant to your family or community, such as risk statistics for certain conditions. 

The tool for “A Guide to Genetics and Health” (book two) contains a library of conditions and diseases that can also be chosen from or added to.  A “Help” option within the tool provides essential tips and other guidelines for customization.

Download and share your customized booklets with the rest of your family to start your family health dialogue. Register for free and get started at http://www.familyhealthhistory.org.