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As families gather around the table this time of year, conversations often turn to traditions, memories and shared stories. These conversations can do more than celebrate the past—they can help protect your future by including your family’s health history. Since 2004, the U.S. Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving as National Family Health History Day to encourage Americans to talk about family health histories at holiday gatherings and make a record of their inherited health conditions.
Knowing your family’s medical history is a powerful tool for protecting your health. Understanding it can guide you and your provider in identifying patterns, reducing risks and taking preventive steps to support long-term wellness.
“Your family history is essentially a roadmap for your health,” said BayCare’s VP/Chief Quality Officer Dr. Laura Arline, MD, FACP, FAAP. “It provides valuable insight into what conditions you may be more likely to develop and what screenings or lifestyle changes can help reduce those risks.”
Why Family Health History Matters
A detailed family health history records the illnesses and conditions that run in your family — like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers. These patterns can reveal inherited risks that might not be obvious otherwise.
How to Gather and Share Information
Discussing health matters with family members may feel uncomfortable or even emotional, but it’s essential for protecting your future wellness. Approach the topic with empathy and curiosity. Ask open-ended questions about major health issues, surgeries, age at diagnosis and, when applicable, causes of death. If possible, review medical records, obituaries or other family documents that might help fill in gaps.
What to Include
When gathering family health information, try to learn about:
The most useful information typically includes first- and second-degree relatives including parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and children.
“Knowing not only what conditions occurred but when they appeared can make a big difference in how you and your doctor plan for the future,” said Dr. Arline. “An early onset of heart disease or cancer in a parent or sibling may point to a hereditary risk that requires earlier screening for you.”
To make this process easier and more precise, BayCare now offers tools to help identify hereditary cancer risks early.
BayCare’s High Risk Cancer Program
BayCare’s free Cancer Risk Assessment, powered by CancerIQ, targets individuals ages 24–45 with a family history of cancer who may not be screened under standard guidelines. The survey assesses risks for nine different types of cancer – breast, colorectal, endometrial, gastric, kidney, lung, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate – and only takes five minutes to complete. The High Risk Cancer Program is the only one of its kind in West Central Florida and surrounding areas.
Turning Knowledge into Action
A family health history is most valuable when it informs care. Bring the information you’ve gathered to your annual physical or next appointment with your primary care physician. Your provider can help you interpret the details, assess your risk and determine if genetic counseling or testing might be appropriate.
“Family history gives us an opportunity to intervene early — sometimes decades before a condition might otherwise appear,” said Dr. Arline “That’s the power of preventive care. It allows us to shift from reacting to illness to proactively maintaining wellness.”
Keep It Updated
Family health information changes over time. Update your family health history every year or whenever new diagnoses occur. Even partial information is still valuable
How This Affects You
By understanding where you come from, you can make smarter decisions for the path ahead. When combined with regular checkups, healthy habits and open communication with your provider, your family history becomes a foundation for lifelong wellness.
Find a BayCare primary care provider at BayCare.org/Doctors and take the first step toward using your family’s health history to stay ahead of potential health risks.
