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12.02.2007 | 11:12:36 pm | Posted by mummums
By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist
 How knowledgeable are you about your family’s health history? While sitting around the table during the holidays, gaining knowledge about the health of close relatives can be more beneficial than simply making conversation. The current US surgeon general declared Thanksgiving 2007 to be the fourth annual National Family History Day and encouraged everyone to utilize the holiday season as a time to identify and discuss health problems that may run in the family.
Surveys conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services revealed that 96% of Americans feel that knowing family health history is important, yet only 1/3 have actually gathered or recorded their family health data. A recorded family health history can illuminate the risk of inheriting certain diseases, individual health concerns and environmental factors.
Although we cannot change our genetics, knowing what we may be predisposed to can certainly change the future. Taking action now can help reduce disease risks in the future such as regular check-ups with your physician, making your physician aware of family history, and participating in preventative screenings. Since those with a family history of chronic disease have the most to gain from lifestyle changes, knowing your health history can encourage positive behavior changes. To make things easier, the Surgeon General has created an online tool called My Family Health Portrait where you can create your own family tree.
How does this help children? When it comes to children’s health, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By knowing your family’s health risks, you can help your child create healthy habits from an early age. With regards to food allergies, knowing what allergies you, your spouse and immediate family members have, you can avoid certain foods in your infant or toddler's diet, which can help prevent future allergies. In the case of celiac disease, which is predominately genetic, you can avoid giving your infant or toddler gluten to prevent celiac symptoms. In addition, being aware of food allergies and other familial health risks may allow you to identify symptoms of allergies sooner by being able to identify what your infant or toddler is experiencing.
So, this holiday season, while gathered together with relatives, don’t forget to grab a pen and jot down a little family health history.
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