How Often to Pursue Health Screening

A University of Leicester graduate in medicine, Chua Tee Lian works as a director and family physician at C&K Family Clinic in Singapore. Previous posts include stints at Frankel and Liam Clinics. As a family physician, he provides a broad range of family health services to the community. One of Chua Tee Lian’s service provisions is health screening.

Also referred to as medical checkups, health screening refers to routine evaluations of the body’s medical risk factors, assessing lifestyle habits, and adopting measures to reduce the chances of chronic or life-threatening diseases.

The frequency varies depending on age, sex, prevailing medical history and condition, and the state of health. For otherwise adults in a relatively good state of health, doctors recommend health screening every five years for those under 50 and once annually after 50 years of age. Those susceptible to or already experiencing chronic diseases should endeavor to visit the physician more often.

Although common screening tests work across various demographics, specific groups require more niche-oriented checks. For example, mammography and pap smears are more appropriate for women than for men, while a family history of high blood pressure would call for more frequent tests in the family lineage than one without. The family history aids the doctor in focusing on or optimizing specific tests.