As a result of balancing a lot on their plates, women often let their own healthcare take a back seat to other priorities.
Women in Utah have largely ignored preventive care as evidenced by rankings released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Utah ranks near the bottom of the country in several key areas of women's preventive health, including cholesterol screening, routine checkups, pap smears, mammography, and occult blood screening.
5 for Life Program
University Health Care recognized the need to not only educate local women about the necessary life-saving tests, but also the need to provide a convenient way for women to actually have the tests done. To meet this need, 5 for Life Day was created so women could get the necessary screenings done in just one medical visit.
5 for Life Day provides screenings for heart disease, breast cancer, cervical cancer, skin cancer, and osteoporosis. Due to the prep involved, colon cancer screenings (colonoscopies) are scheduled on a different date.
Pampering is a must! Participants wear comfy terry-cloth robes, enjoy a healthy breakfast, and relax with a chair massage during the event. It is a perfect event for girlfriends, mothers and their daughters to attend together. Many make it an annual event.
Screenings
1. Heart Disease Screenings
Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women in America.
Eighty percent of heart disease can be prevented.
Tests include: Total Cholesterol (LDL, HDL, Triglycerides), Fasting Blood Sugar, and Blood Pressure
2. Breast Cancer Screenings
Women aged 40 and older need to get mammograms every 1 to 2 years and over 50 need one annually. If there is history of breast cancer in her family, a woman should consult with her physician on when she should have her first mammogram.
Tests include: Breast exam by physician and a Mammogram.
3. Cervical Cancer Screenings
Women need to have a Pap test starting after becoming sexually active, or by age 21, to detect cervical cancer.
Gardasil, a recently released vaccine also know as the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine, protects against cervical cancer, cervical dysplasia and genital warts. It has been approved for females ages 9 - 26 and has been 100% effective in preventing precancerous lesions.
Tests include: Pap Test.
4. Skin Cancer Screenings
Each year more than one million new people are diagnosed with skin cancer. Melanoma can run in families and people with two or more relatives with melanoma have an increased risk.
Tests include: Comprehensive Skin Exam.
5. Colon Cancer Screenings
150,000 people are told they have colorectal cancer each year and 55,000 die each year. Yet, when detected early, colorectal cancer can be effectively treated, even cured.
Tests include: Colonoscopy scheduled at a later date.
6. Osteoporosis Screenings - One for the road
Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease. It can be prevented with a healthy diet and staying physically active.
With the aging of America, the number of people with osteoporosis- related fractures will increase.
Tests include: DEXA-scan
5 for Life Day
University of Utah Health Care's "5 for Life Day" is held on an ongoing basis in South Jordan, Midvale, and Park City. The next event will be held at the University's Greenwood Health Center in Midvale on Saturday, April 13. For more information or to register, call
801-213-9299 or visit
healthcare.utah.edu/5forlife.
