Why Preventive Health Matters
Tens of millions of people in the US are missing out on recommended preventive care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These checkups have the potential to detect disease early when it's most treatable and, in some cases, prevent it from developing. Yet factors such as awareness, access and cost create barriers to testing for many people.To help, we're working with US health organizations to offer a new Preventive Health tool that connects people to health resources and checkup reminders. This tool is available in the US on the Facebook mobile app.Guidelines from Health Organizations
The checkups recommended in this tool are based on guidelines from the American Cancer Society, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We're starting with health checkups related to heart disease, cancer and flu. What's listed in Preventive Health is not an exhaustive list, and what is right for you may vary based on your family history and risk factors. Talk to a health care provider to discuss your individual needs.
Logos used with permission*
Preventive Health Helps You
- Learn which checkups health organizations recommend for your age and sex
- Get information about how each health action can help you stay healthy
- Track completed actions and set reminders when it's time to go see a health care provider again
- Find affordable places to access health care near you
- Share resources with others to help your friends and family stay healthy
Privacy Matters
Health is particularly personal, so we took privacy and safety into account from the beginning. For example, Preventive Health allows you to set reminders for your future checkups and mark them as done, but it doesn't provide us, or the health organizations we're working with, access to your actual test results. Personal information about your activity in Preventive Health is not shared with third parties, such as the health organizations or insurance companies, so it can't be used for purposes like insurance eligibility.We don't show ads based on the information you provide in Preventive Health - that includes things like setting a reminder for a test, marking it as done or searching for a health care location. As always, other actions that you take on Facebook could inform the ads you see, for example, liking the Facebook page of a health organization or visiting an external website linked to from Preventive Health.From Leading Health Organizations
"We've contributed our content and resources to the Facebook Preventive Health tool to empower Americans to take the first step to know about and take action to lower blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, each of which has been shown to increase the chance of a longer, healthier life and reduce the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke."
—Eduardo Sanchez, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention at the American Heart Association
"Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women around the world and in many cases it is 100 percent preventable. By incorporating prevention reminders into platforms people are accessing every day, we're giving people the tools they need to be proactive about their heart health."
—Richard Kovacs, MD, President of the American College of Cardiology
"One of the main reasons people don't get screened for cancer is that they don't realize their own risk. We hope this program will help by building awareness about important recommendations from expert organizations."
—Richard Wender, MD, Chief Cancer Control Officer at the American Cancer Society
"Flu vaccines can have wide-ranging benefits beyond just preventing the disease, such as reducing the risk of hospitalization, preventing serious medical events for some people with chronic diseases, and protecting women during and after pregnancy. New tools like this will empower users with instant access to information and resources they need to become a flu fighter in their own communities."
—Nancy Messonnier, MD, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
*Neither Facebook, nor any of its products, services or activities are endorsed by CDC or the U.S. Government.