Overall well-being among U.S. adults has declined substantially this year. The Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index score so far in 2017 is 61.5, down 0.6 points from 62.1 in 2016 and on par with the lower level recorded in 2014. This decline is both statistically significant and meaningfully large.

These data are drawn from more than 135,000 interviews with U.S. adults across all 50 states from Jan. 2-Sept. 30, 2017, and more than 176,000 interviews each year in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The <a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/about" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a> is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest possible well-being and 100 represents the highest possible well-being. The Well-Being Index consists of metrics drawn from each of the five essential elements of well-being:

<ul>
	<li>Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals</li>
	<li>Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life</li>
	<li>Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security</li>
	<li>Community: liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community</li>
	<li>Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily</li>
</ul>

Democrats&#39; Well-Being Drops Sharply; Republicans&#39; Unchanged 
Democrats have suffered a significant decline in overall well-being so far in 2017 compared with 2016. The 0.9-point drop in Democrats&#39; Well-Being Index score is at least triple the decline seen among Republicans and independents. Independents had a statistically significant decline of 0.3 points, while Republicans&#39; well-being is statistically unchanged. The decline among Democrats comes after a notable improvement in 2016, and their well-being is now below 2014 levels.

Women, Blacks, Hispanics, Low-Income See Large Drops 
The overall decline in well-being is concentrated among demographic groups that tend to align with the Democratic Party. Women have had a substantial 1.1-point drop in their Well-Being Index score, while the score for men is unchanged. Across the four major racial and ethnic groups, well-being has dropped the most among blacks and Hispanics, although it has also come down to a lesser degree among whites and Asians. Americans living in lower-income households saw a significant drop in well-being, while their higher-income counterparts saw a smaller decrease, no change or a slight increase.

Emotional Health, Social and Purpose Well-Being All Worsen 
The overall decline in well-being in 2017 is driven by dips in emotional health, social well-being and purpose well-being.

In terms of emotional health, the percentage of adults who report experiencing significant worry on any given day is up, as is the percentage who report having little interest or pleasure in doing things at least some of the time.

Social well-being shows similar declines. Fewer Americans agree that their friends and family provide them with positive energy every day and that someone in their life always encourages them to be healthy, while more disagree with the statement.

Purpose well-being indicators have also receded. Fewer agree and more disagree that there is a leader in their life who makes them enthusiastic about the future and that they like what they do each day.

All of these metrics were highly stable from 2014 through 2016, and in each case the negative movement so far in 2017 is highly statistically significant.

The remaining three elements, financial, physical and community well-being, have had much smaller changes thus far in 2017. Community well-being is unchanged, while financial and physical well-being are both down slightly.

Implications 
After rising in 2016, the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index score has reversed course this year. This drop comes even as key economic metrics closely related to well-being have improved, including <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/189068/bls-unemployment-seasonally-adjusted.aspx.aspx" target="_blank">unemployment</a>, perceptions of <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/218981/americans-ratings-standard-living-best-decade.aspx?g_source=&amp;g_medium=&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">standard of living</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/125735/economic-confidence-index.aspx" target="_blank">confidence in the economy</a> and <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/221060/americans-best-holiday-shopping-mood-years.aspx" target="_blank">optimism about spending</a>.

Other signs of worsening well-being in the U.S. include an <a href="http://news.gallup.com/topic/category_wellbeing.aspx" target="_blank">uptick in the uninsured rate</a> for three quarters in a row and reports of elevated <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/204590/daily-worry-sharply-presidential-election.aspx?g_source=&amp;g_medium=&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">daily worry</a>, particularly among <a href="http://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/215657/hispanics-emotional-during-trump-era.aspx" target="_blank">Spanish-speaking Hispanics.</a>

This drop in well-being is important for leaders to monitor and address because research shows the Well-Being Index predicts <a href="http://info.healthways.com/hubfs/Science_and_Research/Well-being-5_Science_Paper.pdf" target="_blank">key health, business and social outcomes</a>.

Read more about the decline in social well-being this past year on the new website, <a href="https://quartzy.qz.com/1121777" target="_blank">Quartzy</a>.

Survey Methods 
Results are based on 135,426 telephone interviews with U.S. adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted from Jan. 2-Sept. 30, 2017. In 2016, 2015, and 2014, a total of 177,192, 177,281 and 176,702 interviews, respectively, were conducted from Jan. 2-Dec. 30 of each year. Gallup conducts 500 telephone interviews daily, resulting in a sample that projects to an estimated 95% of all U.S. adults.

The Well-Being Index margin of sampling error for the reported groups will range from about &plusmn;0.2 points for the U.S. and for whites to about &plusmn;0.3 points for blacks and Hispanics to about &plusmn;0.6 points for Asians. The margin of error for demographic groups will be no larger than &plusmn;0.3 points. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects due to weighting.

Each daily sample of national adults for data collected between Jan. 2, 2014 and Sept. 1, 2015, comprised 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents. Each daily sample from Sept. 1, 2015-Dec. 30, 2016, comprised 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents. Daily samples in 2017 comprise 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents. Additional minimum quotas by time zone and within region are included in the sampling approach.

Learn more about how the <a href="http://www.gallup.com/209189/gallup-sharecare-index-work.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a> works.

This content originally appeared on <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/221588/americans-declines-2017.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup.com</a>.

News: Americans' Well-Being Declines in 2017

A funny thing happened on Dr. Mike&rsquo;s way home from watching a last-second playoff victory by the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Chicago Bulls; he thought about eating a Cinnabon (didn&rsquo;t, wouldn&rsquo;t ever, but&hellip;). True Cleveland fans know that rooting for the Cavs usually elicits a heightened stress response.

Then, two days later, he noticed how exhausted he was from the stress of watching the game and yet how much he was looking forward to the next one. That made him realize how important it is to stay healthy (he exercises three days a week, walks 10K a day and eats well) if he were to keep going to these stressful games! And that made him wonder if we could come up with a similarly immersive experience that creates enthusiastic participants for Team Wellness&mdash;participants who would come back season after season for more physical activity and good nutrition, participants who would then be able to manage the stress that emotional attachments cause without resorting to the consolation of a sugary, fatty treat.&nbsp;

So we&rsquo;re asking you to join Team Wellness. You only need to play by five rules.

<ol>
	<li>Ditch: all trans and most sat fat, any added sugar or syrup and any grain that isn&rsquo;t 100% whole.</li>
	<li>Walk 10,000 steps a day.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-sleeping" target="_blank">Sleep</a> 7-8 hours nightly and meditate daily.</li>
	<li>Avoid toxins like tobacco and BPAs (wash your hands after touching receipts).</li>
	<li>Share laughter and love with friends and intimate partners.</li>
	<li>The rewards? A healthier, happier and longer life. That&rsquo;s the ticket!</li>
</ol>

Medically reviewed in March 2019.

Are You A Fan of Team Wellness?

Q: My eight-year-old daughter and I got our flu shots and then got sick anyway. I think next year we&rsquo;ll skip it. What&rsquo;s the use? 
&mdash; Carolina B., New York, NY

A: It&rsquo;s not fair to blame the flu vaccine. There are several viruses out there that are not influenza: respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV), rhinovirus, croup and the common cold. You may have had one of those common infections and your flu vaccine may be protecting you and your daughter even now. Plus, it has many remarkable benefits&mdash;including, but not limited to, preventing the flu or lessening its impact.

For example, a recent Danish study found that kids who experience a bad enough infection to require hospitalization are at an 83 percent higher risk of developing a mental disorder and a 42 percent higher risk of using psychotropic medications. The flu qualifies as one of those potentially hospital-serious infections. You want to help your child dodge those risks for sure! And we wonder&hellip; could that be related to another study from the UK that identified a rise in anxiety among British children, where many kids don&rsquo;t receive flu vaccines?

Adults are also at risk if they skip the shot&mdash;and a survey shows over half of all adults are not currently vaccinated against the flu, and four in ten don&rsquo;t intend to get vaccinated. That&rsquo;s a shame. A 2013 study of randomized clinical trials published in JAMA showed that &ldquo;influenza vaccine was associated with a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events&hellip; The greatest treatment effect was seen among the highest-risk patients with more active coronary disease.&rdquo;

So, young and old, remember the saying: &ldquo;For want of a horseshoe nail, the kingdom was lost.&rdquo; It means if you ignore first steps, one thing leads to another, until the end result is not what you want. The same thing can be said about skipping your flu shot. It&rsquo;s not too late to get yours.

Q: My dad has a rifle, a shotgun and a few pistols. He&rsquo;s 82 and was a competitive marksman back in the day. But I just heard about a healthcare worker who was shot by an 80-year-old in her care. She&rsquo;d been with him five days a week for several months. Should I ask him if I can have his guns?&nbsp; 
&mdash; Jack K., Seattle, WA

A: As our population grows older, the problem that comes along with the combination of dementia and guns needs attention. Forty-five percent of people 65 and older have guns in their household, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, while nine percent of Americans 65 and older are diagnosed with <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/dementia/article/what-need-know-about-dementia">dementia</a>&mdash;and many others suffer from reduced cognition and mobility issues. The combination has become such a problem that a non-profit Alzheimer&rsquo;s volunteer group in San Diego has decided not to send volunteers into homes with weapons after discovering that 25 to 30 percent of the households their &ldquo;helpers&rdquo; visited had guns.

Security is one of biggest reasons why people own guns. But when older people start to experience cognition and other physical challenges, imagined threats can seem all too real. Remember the episode on The Sopranos in which Junior (Dominic Chianese) walks into the kitchen and shoots his nephew Tony (James Gandolfini) while he&rsquo;s making pasta, thinking he&rsquo;s an intruder?

An article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine voiced doctors&rsquo; concerns about the risk of suicide by gun owners with dementia. According to the CDC, the suicide rate in the US is highest among those 65 and older, and firearms are the most common method.

AARP suggests families draw up an advance directive (sort of a healthcare proxy) for a firearm retirement date. Another suggestion is to put any ammunition under (your) lock and key. So, now that you&rsquo;re armed with this information, sit down with your dad and have a frank discussion about his guns.

Ask Oz and Roizen: Why You Need a Flu Shot and the Dangers of Gun Ownership With Dementia

Ready for an intensive, all-encompassing process to change your life?&nbsp;

Yeah, me neither. Kind of tough to fit in, between prepping the presentation for your boss, last-minute runs to Costco and making goodies for the bake sale you somehow signed up to chair. Besides, can I remind you that you&rsquo;re already pretty awesome? Don&rsquo;t go&nbsp;changin&rsquo; that much.&nbsp;

But, we all have improvements that we&rsquo;d like to make&ndash;-and what if I said that you could still get the impact, in barely more time than it takes to shimmy into your Spanx? Research shows that even 10 minutes a day can have a surprisingly significant effect.&nbsp;

Let&rsquo;s face it&mdash;none of us have time to waste&mdash;so here are a few of my favorite powerhouse activities.&nbsp;

Move it. If you only have 10 minutes, exercise is one of the best activities for you physically, mentally and emotionally.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/benefits-regular-exercise/article/how-two-minutes-of-walking-can-save-your-life">Walk</a>. Run. Dance. Stomp. In one study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders participants who were asked to exercise in 10-minute spurts two to four times a day, five days a week, stuck to the program and exercised more than those who were asked to exercise in single 20- to&nbsp;40-minute chunks over the same time period. I&rsquo;d love you to get&nbsp;20 to 30 minutes total, but if you&rsquo;ll start with a 10-minute workout, you&rsquo;ll notice a difference.  &nbsp;

10 minutes of meditation or mindfulness. Studies show that regular&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/article/starting-a-meditation-practice">meditation or mindfulness exercises</a> cannot only improve heart health,&nbsp;they&nbsp;cut down on mind wandering (such as obsessing over that catty remark from a coworker or how you could have handled a challenge better), and lowers levels of depression and anxiety. One study published in Psychological Science found the effect of improved focus in as little as two weeks of mindfulness practice.&nbsp;

Play. Adults don&rsquo;t get recess anymore. (We don&rsquo;t get naptime either, which is something I&rsquo;d like to address with management at a later point.) Whether with your children, your dog or your best friends, let out your inner child. Host game night. Take a friend to one of those indoor trampoline gyms. When you&rsquo;re at brunch, put the orange peel across your teeth and smile at a stranger. Let out your inner 12-year-old.&nbsp;

Prepare meals with the freshest, brightest fruits and veggies. You get home, you&rsquo;re exhausted, and you reach for whatever leftovers are in the fridge, right? Take 10 extra minutes to saut&eacute; that fresh asparagus or chop up the papaya and squeeze on a little lime. Taking a few minutes to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-foods-cooking/slideshow/autumn-inspired-upgrade-morning-oatmeal">spruce up your meal</a>&nbsp;not only makes it healthier with fewer calories and higher antioxidants, it will make your veggie a little more appealing at the same time.&nbsp;

Two times a day, stop interacting and start connecting. You take your groceries from the clerk. You swipe your ID card for the security guard at work. Those are transactions. But what if you took two minutes to say hello, ask how they&rsquo;re doing and learn about them? In Talk to Strangers, author David&nbsp;Topus&nbsp;writes that replacing an &ldquo;efficient&rdquo; transaction with a true connection will not only improve your mindset and day, but the other person&rsquo;s as well.   
A successful journey needn&#39;t start with huge sweeping changes. It&rsquo;s the small, daily decisions that accumulate and forge our lives.

How 10 Minutes Can Change Your Life

We know that carrying some extra weight can increase the risks of conditions like heart disease, high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and even death. But is being slightly overweight really so unhealthy? The answer might surprise you.

Excess weight and a laundry list of health concerns are not always synonymous. But, don&rsquo;t be so quick to ward off a healthy diet and exercise&mdash;this subgroup of overweight people, dubbed the metabolically healthy obese, fit some very specific criteria.

Defining the risks 
Body mass index: An individual&rsquo;s risks for these conditions don&rsquo;t depend solely on the numbers that appear on the scale, nor on any other single measure, like body mass index.&nbsp;

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to determine body fat based on a person&rsquo;s height and weight, and is typically used to assess the risks your weight has on your health, but even that is an imperfect measure.

&ldquo;I use risk to define everything,&rdquo; Neil McDevitt, MD, a bariatric surgeon with <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/summerville-medical-center">Summerville Medical Center</a> says. &ldquo;There&#39;s a lot of social issues that go into what people feel comfortable with, so we use a BMI chart to give us an overall gestalt of what your general risk is, based on your weight,&rdquo; he adds.

By definition, overweight and obese people have a BMI greater than 25 or 30, respectively, but, &ldquo;there&#39;s a weakness inherent in BMI charts,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;It doesn&#39;t take into consideration muscle mass.&rdquo;

That&rsquo;s not all. The healthiest BMI for longevity might not fall within the normal range (18.5 to 25), although the jury is still out on the optimal BMI for lowest mortality. In fact, one study suggests the &ldquo;sweet spot&rdquo; for longevity is a BMI of 27, which you&rsquo;ll find right in the middle of the overweight range. Other studies, still, suggest the lowest rates of mortality are among those with a BMI between 20 and 24. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Waist-to-hip ratio: Concerns over weight may not be directly related to how much fat a person is carrying, but where on the body they&rsquo;re carrying it. One major risk factor of metabolic syndrome is a large midsection, often described as <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/live-to-one-hundred/article/what-your-body-shape-says-about-longevity">an &ldquo;apple-shaped&rdquo; figure</a>.

In fact, a new study suggests those with a normal BMI who tend to carry weight around their middle have an elevated risk of death from any cause compared to people who are overweight or obese, and carry weight elsewhere.

&ldquo;We look at something called the waist-to-h ratio,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;The World Health Organization says that abdominal obesity is significantly more of a risk factor than obesity of the periphery of the body.&rdquo;

The measure used to determine fat distribution is known as waist-to-hip ratio&mdash;a comparison between the smallest part of the waist and largest part of the hip. A ratio of one or greater for men and .8 or greater for women, is considered an apple shape, and thus carries a greater potential for obesity-related health risks and death. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In combination with BMI, waist circumference gives a good picture a person&rsquo;s risk of obesity-related mortality&mdash;even if you fall within a healthy BMI range.

Other factors: Exercise tolerance and genetics play a role in determining the risks of your weight on your health, as well. &ldquo;There&#39;s a huge difference between somebody who has a higher BMI, who is only able to walk one thousand steps a day, versus somebody who is capable of walking nine or ten thousand steps a day,&rdquo; McDevitt says.

Good genes can very well bless an overweight individual with normal cholesterol and blood pressure levels, thereby relieving some pressure to shed the pounds.

Extra pounds may be OK 
&ldquo;What I look at is sustainability&mdash;if somebody has a BMI of 27 or 28, but they&rsquo;re healthy, making good food choices, exercising and they&rsquo;re able to maintain that BMI, then I don&rsquo;t really foresee an issue,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;Why should we push them any harder, unless they want to be a lighter weight?&rdquo;

The bottom line? A BMI that is indicative of being overweight or obese doesn&rsquo;t innately make in individual unhealthy. &ldquo;So, it is very possible, and very acceptable, to be overweight and still be healthy,&rdquo; McDevitt says.

Before you run to the pantry, keep in mind, metabolically healthy obesity isn&rsquo;t common&mdash;about one in every seven people&mdash;and it might not last forever. Age, lack of exercise and other factors can turn that excess weight into a dangerous health concern.

One study with a 10-year follow up period found that men who started out metabolically healthy and obese were three times more likely to develop heart disease than metabolically healthy men of a normal weight. The risk doubled&nbsp;for metabolically healthy obese women when compared to healthy, normal-weight women.

Results from another study of more than 3.5 million men and women suggest a similar outcome. Obese individuals who began the study free of obesity-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol were at a higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke and heart failure than normal weight people without these initial complications.

When compared with healthy normal weight people, obese, but otherwise healthy individuals, were 49 percent more likely to develop heart disease, at a 7 percent higher risk of stroke and at a 96 percent increased risk of heart failure, after an average of 5 years and 4 months.

Although extra baggage is OK for some, excess weight is a problem for many&mdash;two out of three Americans are considered <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/obesity-overweight-condition/article/whats-the-latest-obesity">overweight or obese</a>, and many of them are unhealthy.

What if your weight is an issue? 
There are certainly some people whose bodies aren&rsquo;t built to handle excess weight. In these cases, they may develop metabolic syndrome&mdash;a group of risk factors that up your chance of developing issues like heart disease and diabetes.

Excess weight can also take a toll on your knee and hip joints, your ability to sleep and has been linked to respiratory issues and even some cancers. Don&rsquo;t sweat (or do)&mdash;many of these conditions can be managed with weight loss. In the simplest terms, losing weight is a matter of burning more calories than you consume. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The only sure fire way to assess these risks is to visit your doctor. Work with your healthcare provider to create a diet and exercise regimen that works with your lifestyle. &ldquo;Adjust your lifestyle, so that you don&#39;t have to work harder,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;If you make better food choices consistently, you don&#39;t necessarily have to make up for it at the gym.&rdquo;

Can You Be Overweight and Healthy?

Q: My grandmother recently suffered a &ldquo;minor&rdquo; heart attack followed with a stent placement. She&rsquo;s scared about a recommended cardio rehab program. What can I say to get her to go? &mdash;Laura G., NY, NY

A: Recovering from a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/article/heart-attack-cardiac-arrest-heart-failure">heart attack</a> can be challenging, not just physically but emotionally. Cardio rehab helps with both aspects. Unfortunately, only about two-thirds of diagnosis-appropriate patients are referred to cardio rehab and only about a quarter of those folks enroll in a rehab program. Even at the Cleveland Clinic where everyone with an appropriate diagnosis is approached separately by a doc and a nurse, only about 22 percent of patients join rehab. This is despite the fact that the program is almost totally covered by every insurance company, Medicare and Medicaid. Clearly, patients need to better understand the enormous benefits.

Explain to your mom that cardio rehab is a wide-ranging wellness program that promotes good health and a good mental attitude by offering everything from exercise to nutritional advice, emotional counseling and stress reduction. It&rsquo;s individualized and can include help with other lifestyle changes (<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/quit-smoking/slideshow/how-quit-smoking-once-all">smoking cessation</a>?) she wants to make. Here&rsquo;s what she can expect.

Evaluation: Her program will start with a face-to-face evaluation with the professionals at her rehab center. An accompanying friend or family member would be welcome here. After that, she&rsquo;ll probably have a stress test during which her heart rate and her blood pressure will be monitored. Then, they&rsquo;ll review her medications and she and the cardio-rehab team will decide on the next steps.

Her Program: She will set up a schedule for attending lectures/discussions about healthy eating, classes in meditation or chair yoga, and workouts on exercise machines. There are also intensive cardiac rehab programs, which increase frequency and incorporate programs such as Ornish or Pritikin. They reduce the incidence of recurrence and restore a more active and normal lifestyle.

We hope you can convince your grandmother to go. We&rsquo;ve seen so many people benefit from these programs&mdash;they restore physical and emotional self-confidence along with physical strength.

Q: I tell my 16-year-old son that he&rsquo;s missing out on a lot by spending too much time on his computer and phone. What else can I say to get him to get out more? &mdash;Karin B., Tulsa, OK

A: How about making him aware of the threat to his eyesight that <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/article/how-screen-time-too-much-kids">screen time</a> poses? We remember when moms would tell kids, &ldquo;Get out of the house and don&rsquo;t come back until dinner!&rdquo; Yes, times have changed, but past generations of kids who played outside more frequently didn&rsquo;t end up nearsighted as often.

Recent studies have shown that adolescents and teens who are glued to their computer screens and phones don&rsquo;t use their long-range sight and end up developing myopia (nearsightedness). One BBC report claims that 90 percent of young people in China are currently myopic. In Seoul, South Korea, it&rsquo;s estimated that more than 95 percent of kids need glasses for distance. One study estimates that by 2050, 4.8 billion people worldwide will be affected by nearsightedness, which is 2.4 billion more than in 2010.

Theory #1: Lack of long-range focus 
Getting children outside and away from their devices changes how they use their eye muscles and how the lens in the eye focuses on objects. Whether looking down the soccer field or down the street, gazing into the distance lets eyes move from near to far and focus more easily and accurately.

Theory #2: Lack of Sunshine 
Several studies over the past seven or eight years have shown that kids who spend more time outside are less likely to develop nearsightedness both as adolescents and by the time they reach age 65. One study in China found that 40 more minutes of recess daily reduced myopia rates by 23 percent.

So tell your son it&rsquo;s shortsighted to make yourself nearsighted when there&rsquo;s so much fun to be had doing sports, hiking, walking and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-habits/slideshow/nature-keeps-you-healthy">enjoying nature</a>.

Ask Oz and Roizen: Cardio Rehabilitation and Risks of Screen Time

Have you ever suspected that actual sunlight could make you physically lighter? Your body clock responds to the daily light cycle of dawn, daylight, dusk and dark. It influences your metabolism, your hormone secretion, your brain waves, and your mood, including your interest in sex.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/vitamin-d/what-are-health-benefits-sunlight" target="_blank">Related: The Health Benefits of Sunlight</a>

Now, it seems, if you&rsquo;re regularly exposed to 20-30 minutes of sunlight between 8am and noon, your BMI will be lower than someone who misses those early rays -- even if all other variables are the same. The effects are due to light&rsquo;s influence on your <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/endocrine-system/which-hormones-affect-my-appetite" target="_blank">appetite control hormones</a>, your glucose control systems, or something we don&rsquo;t know about yet. But here&rsquo;s how decipher the quality of your light exposure:

You need exposure to light that&rsquo;s rated at 500 Lux. A cloudy day serves up more than 1,000, while direct sunlight delivers around 32,000 to 100,000 (so don&rsquo;t over do it!). A bright office only serves up around 400 Lux. Moonlight? 1 Lux. A moonless night away from city lights --you&rsquo;re out of Lux.

So take time in the early morning to go outside for 20 minutes; then take a midmorning break and head into the light for another 10 minutes or more. If you&rsquo;re also exercising in the gym or getting your 10,000 steps a day at the mall, you&rsquo;ll get double benefits -- and soon feel very en-lightened!

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/types-exercise/what-benefits-exercising-morning" target="_blank">Related: The Benefits of Morning Exercise</a>

Medically reviewed in May 2019.

Early Burst of Sun Can Boost Your Whole Day

NBA locker rooms are dripping with more than sweaty jerseys these days. Water-fanatics like the Sixers&rsquo; T.J. McConnell (he and his teammates favor Ph-adjusted alkaline water), Golden State&rsquo;s Steph Curry (filtered water) and LeBron James (he masks his bottled water&rsquo;s label) have embraced the health benefits of plain water over sports drinks. That&rsquo;s a good practice each of you could follow to improve your digestion and muscle function as well as your skin, heart and brain health.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, some folks need fewer than eight glasses of water daily, some more. You should always drink when thirsty (more often while exercising or in extreme weather). You can tell if you&rsquo;re hydrated by the color of your urine&mdash;pale yellow or colorless means you are doing well.

But all your hydration should not only come from water&mdash;you can rely on <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/diet-nutrition/slideshow/foods-help-stay-hydrated">water-soaked fruits and veggies</a> for around 20 percent of your daily dose:

<ul>
	<li>Cucumbers&mdash;97.9 percent water</li>
	<li>Grapefruit&mdash;91.5 percent water</li>
	<li>Celery&mdash;95.4 percent water</li>
	<li>Strawberries&mdash;90.9 percent water</li>
	<li>Summer squash&mdash;96 percent water</li>
	<li>Watermelon&mdash;91.4 percent water</li>
	<li>Tomatoes&mdash;95.2 percent water</li>
	<li>Casaba&mdash;91.8 percent water</li>
	<li>Rhubarb&mdash;93.6 percent water</li>
	<li>Lettuce&mdash;95.6 percent water</li>
</ul>

These water-soaked fruits and veggies provide moisture to lubricate your system, fiber to improve your digestion and phytonutrients that allow well-hydrated muscles to become more energetic and powerful. Your brain needs them to receive oxygen and their nutrients keep you clear-thinking. So drink in all the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/wellness-healthy-living/slideshow/ways-drink-more-water">benefits of staying hydrated</a> with water and water-enriched food.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Eat Your Water: How to Stay Effectively Hydrated

If you&#39;re looking for a healthy place to take a vacation, consider heading for the hills.

People who live in mountainous regions appear to have lower mortality rates than people living in low-lying areas, a study determined. Researchers believe this may be due to the physical demands of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/running/why-should-i-run-hills">walking on hilly terrain</a> with less oxygen. If you live in the lowlands, make your power hikes high-altitude workouts by heading for local hills.

A study of roughly 1,200 men and women who lived in either lowland or mountainous regions revealed that mountain dwellers experienced lower total and coronary mortality than people who lived closer to sea level. Researchers speculate that mountain dwelling may boost heart health because it requires people to walk on uneven, hilly terrain in high-altitude, low-oxygen conditions. Working out at a higher altitude where there&#39;s less oxygen forces your heart and lungs to work harder, strengthening them more than if you were exercising closer to sea level. If you live in the mountains or regularly exercise at high altitude, you also may increase your number of red blood cells and use oxygen more efficiently. However, if you are working out for the first time or have a medical condition, the strain of high-altitude hikes may be too much. Consult your healthcare provider first.

Head for the Hills

It was about eight years ago. I was 33 years old, with a BMI considered <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/body-mass-index-bmi/what-body-mass-index-reading">clinically obese</a> and a family history of diabetes and heart disease. I knew I was at risk. I was sedentary, I ate poorly and I was depressed with very low energy. I felt awful.

To add to the mix, my girlfriend (now my loving wife), diagnosed with brain cancer, was undergoing chemo and radiation. She had a life expectancy of three years. She really needed me to be strong for her. I knew it. And at some point the question arose in my mind&hellip;

How can I possibly take care of her if I&rsquo;m not well.

I started with a simple piece of advice from a good and healthy friend: Start by doing things you like to do and modifying things you like to eat.

So, what were my passions? Well, I knew I Ioved trail running. And hiking. And mountain biking. I started with short walks and slower rides and worked up doing more each week. As I began to get stronger, I enjoyed these things even more. Eventually I added&nbsp;bodyweight workouts,&nbsp;doing push-ups, lunges and pull-ups for more strength.

Once I started exercising more, I realized I had to eat better or I couldn&rsquo;t get through my workouts without feeling lightheaded and nauseated. I found that when I&nbsp;ate well, my workouts were better and I&nbsp;felt much better. This sparked a strong interest in nutrition. I discovered what different foods really cost in terms of calories &ndash; that I could take in half the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/calories/calories-need-per-day">calories I need in a day</a>&nbsp;with just a few slices of pepperoni pizza, without even thinking about it. That enjoying a bowl of ice cream after the pizza was pushing me to almost 75 percent of my actual need for that day. Wow.

Something had to change.

I changed my diet and just started feeling better. More energized. Less lethargic, less likely to crash. As I read about what good nutrition really is, I ate less junk food,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/protein-and-weight-loss/protein-help-me-lose-weight">more proteins</a>,&nbsp;vegetables and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-athlete-diets/why-healthy-snacks-important-athletes">healthy snacks</a>.

I drastically improved the macronutrient makeup of the foods I ate and it was easier than I thought it would be.

<ul>
	<li>I began to pack my lunches for work, favoring fresh veggies, lean protein, and brown rice.</li>
	<li>I reduced my&nbsp;white starch&nbsp;and fat intake. So, ice cream became&nbsp;light&nbsp;ice cream and eventually yogurt with fresh fruit and granola.</li>
	<li>Side orders of chips and fries became&nbsp;baked chips or baked fries.</li>
	<li>Pizzas got&nbsp;smaller and less calorie-dense&nbsp;and vegetables were added.</li>
	<li>Popcorn servings had much less butter, and eventually I used misted olive oil instead.</li>
</ul>

Over time, the foods I once loved started to taste different. Rich foods started to taste&nbsp;too rich&nbsp;and sweet foods,&nbsp;too sweet. Whole grains took on a whole new level of flavor and I started craving clean, vitamin-rich foods. It still blows my mind that now I like vegetables more than the fatty starches I used to crave.&nbsp;

I didn&rsquo;t&nbsp;try&nbsp;to force this shift in taste, it just happened.

These days, at 41, progress of my health is more evident. I have a very healthy&nbsp;BMI, I&rsquo;ve dropped many pant sizes and my cholesterol levels have improved dramatically. I run and ride further, with more energy. I embrace new challenges in my life with confidence.

Above all, I naturally climbed out of depression. I now feel useful in my relationships &ndash; and to my wife. And her cancer? It&rsquo;s been eight years of &ldquo;no change&rdquo; MRIs. We&rsquo;re both healthier than we have ever been. I have a lot to celebrate these days, and as I set new and higher goals for myself, I know I&rsquo;ll always be a work in progress &ndash; and I look forward to every minute.

Take the first steps to growing younger and healthier with the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/static/realage">RealAge Test</a>.

Medically reviewed in September 2019.

Health: A Work in Progress

Riveting insights from a rock-star doc . . .

Nobody gives you more compelling answers to body questions than the charismatic Mehmet Oz, MD -- a regular on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Sharecare co-creator, and co-author of blockbusters YOU: The Owner&#39;s Manual and YOU: On a Diet. Here are his tips on how to become an expert on your own body.

Become the World Expert on Your Body 
That&#39;s one of Dr. Oz&#39;s top goals for everyone. And a key way to meet it is to be fearless about asking questions about anything: poop, sex, your genes -- or the waist size of your jeans -- coffee, Alzheimer&#39;s, anything.

For instance, ask Dr. Oz if there&#39;s any way to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-aging">delay aging</a> and here&#39;s what you get: &quot;The truth about aging is that you -- right now -- have the ability to live 35 percent longer than expected, with a greater quality of life and without becoming feeble. While relying on the talents, skills, and knowledge of others may get you out of medical jams, what you really want is to avoid these in the first place. Weight training and getting quality sleep are two of nature&#39;s best anti-aging medicines.

&quot;But just because you&#39;ve made mistakes in the past -- had burgers for breakfast or fried your brain cells with stress -- doesn&#39;t mean you can&#39;t reverse them. Your body is remarkable. You can have a do-over if you want to. Within three months of changing an aging behavior, you can measure a difference in your life expectancy.&quot;

Here are Dr. Oz&#39;s no-frills answers to 7 niggling questions:

Q. Are &quot;floaters&quot; dangerous to my eyes? 
A. Not usually.

Q. Do sit-ups strain my back? 
A. No, they strengthen it.

Q. Does cracking my knuckles cause arthritis? 
A. Nope.

Q. What&#39;s a healthy waist size? 
A. Under 37 inches for women; under 40 inches for men.

Q. Is cancer ever contagious? 
A. Sort of, but rarely and indirectly. Liver and cervical cancers as well as lymphoma can be caused by organisms that are themselves contagious.

Q. What&#39;s the best kitchen cure for diarrhea? 
A. Chicken soup with rice.

Q. Can coffee help prevent Alzheimer&#39;s? 
A. Yes, and Parkinson&#39;s too.

Medically reviewed in March 2019.

What Makes YOU Tick?

We touch hundreds of things each day, but these are the dirtiest of them all.

The 11 Dirtiest Surfaces You Touch Every Day

Our lives are constantly forming around our intentions whether they are conscious or unconscious. When we make them conscious we are choosing to move our lives in a certain direction, and these intentions take shape depending on how we tend to them. Now that Spring is here, flowers are starting to bloom and the sun is shining stronger, it&rsquo;s a wonderful time to clean out the old and give new energy to what we are trying to grow in our lives.

I remember as a small child we always did spring cleaning. It was a time for taking stock in all that we had collected over the past year and then clean out whatever didn&rsquo;t serve us anymore. We carefully made our way through the entire house bagging up items to give away and cleaning the dust and dirt that had collected in the cold dark months of winter. Afterwards we would delight in the spaciousness it created. My drawers and closets had space for something new.

Planting the Seeds of Change 
This is the same spirit that we can use to set intentions. Getting rid of old thoughts and patterns to make room for the new is like preparing the soil before we plant our garden. We can start by assessing where we are and what we are willing to change. Then we can decide the new shape we want our life to take. As we focus on the positive changes we want to create, we can plant a seed of conscious intention. We clear the ground, clean it up and then plant the seed. Just like water and sunlight provide nourishment to our gardens we too can nourish our seeds of intention with our awareness and attention.

Making Room for the New 
As you reflect on the current shape of your life, you can look at the things that don&rsquo;t bring you into alignment with what you want to create. You may see that you have a lot of stress in your life and you prefer to have a more peaceful life. Perhaps there is someone in your life with whom you are struggling to get along, either at work or at home. Maybe you want to have more harmony in your relationships. Maybe you long for adventure and yet night after night you get sucked into the same routine of watching television and overeating. Setting a positive intention can help you make choices that support change.

The Practice

<ul>
	<li>Sit quietly or lie down in a comfortable position.</li>
	<li>Start by focusing on one thing (you can always choose more later) you would like to affect; one area of your life that needs some spring cleaning.</li>
	<li>Imagine letting go of your old way of being in that part of your life. You can do this with a few long slow exhalation breaths while you envision those patterns leaving through your fingers and toes.</li>
	<li>Now invite a new image into your awareness. Begin to see yourself behaving differently in that area of your life. For example, if you want to create more peace in your relationships, begin to imagine yourself in harmonious relationships. This paves the way for something new to emerge.</li>
	<li>You can now state your intention by using a positive affirmation. Try to use &ldquo;I&rdquo; phrases to make it more personal. &ldquo;I live in harmony with those who surround me. I nurture peace in myself and in others.&rdquo; Say it three times to yourself and plant it like a seed in your heart. Let it take root.</li>
	<li>Return to your intention throughout the day imagining it as if it were already so. This provides the nourishment it needs to bloom. Over the days, weeks and even the months you will find yourself shifting your actions to align with your intention. Those actions will start to shape the world around you.</li>
</ul>

Spring has always been a time for new growth and new beginnings. Let this spring mark the beginning of something new for you. Start with your own personal intention and let it bloom.

Learn how practicing yoga and meditation can sharpen your ability to change your mind. Read <a href="https://www.ornish.com/zine/how-to-change-your-habits-with-yoga/" target="_blank">Yoga to Change Your Habits</a>.

This content was originally published on <a href="https://www.ornish.com/zine/spring-cleaning-change-growth/" target="_blank">Ornish Living</a>.

Medically reviewed in February 2019.

Spring Cleaning for Change and Growth

Seven-year-old Atlas loves Hobbits. From their small stature and big, hairy feet, to their miniature, in-ground Hobbit holes, Atlas adores everything about the mythical beings conjured up by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The one thing he wished for more than anything was the chance to see the real-life Hobbiton in Matamata, New Zealand, where Peter Jackson&#39;s iconic movies were filmed. And in June 2018, thanks to Make-A-Wish&reg; Hawaii, Atlas did just that.

Atlas, like many keiki, has a critical illness&mdash;in his case, cystic fibrosis. He&#39;s one of more than 1,300 children from across the state of Hawaii to receive a wish since Make-A-Wish Hawaii was founded in 1982. Additionally, the organization has hosted over 14,000 visiting wish kids from around the world.

The wish that started it all 
The national organization traces back to a single wish in Arizona in 1980, when 7-year-old Chris Greicius dreamed of becoming a police officer &ldquo;to catch bad guys.&quot; Chris had leukemia, and local officers worked to make him Arizona&rsquo;s first and only honorary Department of Public Safety Officer. That wish sparked a movement and inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish.

Within a few short years, different chapters started cropping up, including Make-A-Wish Hawaii, which was one of the first local chapters, and continues to be one of the busiest in the country.

Over the years, the mission of Make-A-Wish Hawaii has grown to view wishes as a way to improve a child&rsquo;s overall wellness. They are currently granted to kids between the ages of 2.5 and 18 who have a progressive, degenerative or malignant ailment that places their life in jeopardy.

&ldquo;A wish isn&rsquo;t a nice thing to have&mdash;it&rsquo;s a necessary thing to have,&rdquo; medical advisory board chair Jeremy Edwards, MD, told Make-A-Wish staff in a recent video. &quot;And we&rsquo;re really seeing a wish is medicine. A wish is a part of their therapy, their treatment, and a huge piece of hope.&quot;

Sharecare and HMSA: teaming up for the community 
In 2017, about 78 cents of every dollar Make-A-Wish Hawaii received went directly toward granting wishes, which is part of why the nonprofit is considered one of the top charities in the state&mdash;and one reason Sharecare and HMSA chose Make-A-Wish as one of the benefiting charities for the #SharecareMovement.

If you&rsquo;re in Hawaii and want to make a difference for Make-A-Wish Hawaii, the easiest thing to do is register for Sharecare and take the RealAge Test. For every Hawaii resident who registers for Sharecare and takes the RealAge Test through November 30, 2018, Sharecare will donate $5 across five charities. From there, log your green days! For each green day earned, Sharecare will donate an another $1. With enough green days and new users, Make-A-Wish could earn up to $100,000 to grant even more wishes.

For Atlas, flying to New Zealand to see Hobbiton was an exciting adventure&mdash;one he and his family will never forget. &ldquo;The wish gave our family memories to last a lifetime,&quot; his mother, Meredith, told Make-A-Wish staff, &quot;to always have something to remind Atlas of how special he is no matter what he&rsquo;s going through.&rdquo;

Join the Sharecare Movement With Make-A-Wish® Hawaii

A 2017 report published in Gallup and Sharecare&rsquo;s State of American Well-Being series looked at the rates of regular exercise among Americans. Respondents to the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index were asked how many times in the last week they exercised for a minimum of 30 minutes at a time. Those who worked out for three or more days, by the study&rsquo;s standards, were considered regular exercisers. It&rsquo;s important to note that the study&rsquo;s data was self-reported, so participants could have considered a wide range of activities like walking, running, cycling, hiking, going to the gym, gardening or performing household chores as exercise.

Among the most active communities were Boulder (#1), Fort Collins (#2) and Greeley (#4) in Colorado and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande (#3) and Santa Rosa (#5) in California. Akron, Ohio and Hickory&ndash;Lenoir&ndash;Morganton, North Carolina didn&rsquo;t fare so well, earning themselves spots among the least-active communities in 2016.

Regular exercise offers benefits including weight control, a reduced risk for several chronic health issues, such as <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/heart-disease/slideshow/ultimate-guide-to-reversing-heart-disease">heart disease</a> and diabetes as well as greater longevity. The national physical activity guidelines, which were <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/types-exercise/article/health-experts-urge-move-more-sit-less">updated in 2018,</a> recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. But if you can get closer to 300 minutes of week of moderate exercise or 150 minutes of more strenuous activity, it&rsquo;s even better. In fact, the more exercise you get, the greater the health benefits, experts advise. Keep in mind however, every bit of exercise counts towards your weekly goal. Taking the stairs, walking the dog, gardening or even just a two-minute walk count as exercise and offer health benefits.

Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week. Older people are also advised to add balance training to their weekly aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities to help reduce their risk for falls and fall-related injuries.

Unfortunately, most Americans aren&rsquo;t meeting these new fitness standards, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Surprisingly, how likely you are to exercise and how often may be linked, in part, to more than your willpower or desire to get in shape. In fact, factors like your ethnicity, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/womens-health/slideshow/unexpected-gender-influences-health">gender</a> and income may play a role in how active you are.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Men vs. women 
Only 26 percent of men get the recommended aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity each week. The same is true for just 19 percent of women, the DHHS reports.

These results are in-line with other research that suggests men get more physical activity than their female counterparts, and are not specific to the United States alone. One Brazilian study of 3,100 people suggests men are more likely than women to get active during leisure time, the hours in a day not dedicated to work, household chores or sleep.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

What&rsquo;s race got to do with it? 
The rate of physical activity varies by race and ethnicity, too. Among the most successful at getting regular exercise were members of the Hispanic population. More than 55 percent of Hispanics surveyed performed 30 minutes of exercise or more at least three times in the previous week. At 54.6 percent, Asians were not far behind.

Money matters 
Your income also has a relationship to the amount of regular exercise you do. Data suggests, the more money an individual makes, the more he or she moves. There could be a lot of reasons for this, including flexible work schedules, access to child care and enough financial stability to pay for gym memberships and workout classes, all of which may getting and staying active easier.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The study showed that people with an annual income below 36,000 dollars exercised at a rate 4.3 percentage points lower, as compared to those who earned between 36,000 and 90,000 dollars a year. The margin is even greater as income increases&mdash;people with a salary between 36,000 and 90,000 were 9.3 percentage points lower in terms of regular exercise, as compared to those who made more than 90,000 dollars.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Exercising with age 
There&rsquo;s more still. Age also has a relationship with just how much a person moves. More people between the ages of 18 and 29 got regular physical activity in comparison to survey participants over 65, dropping from 59.5 percent to 49.6 percent. Rates of regular activity declined steadily with age, from 54.9 percent for those between 30 and 44 to 51.5 percent among participants age 45 to 64.&nbsp; &nbsp;

But even young people aren&rsquo;t moving enough. Kids and teenagers between 6 and 17 years old should engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on a daily basis. This activity should be a mix of aerobic, muscle- and bone-strengthening activities, each which should be done at least three days a week. The latest data available, which is not included in the Gallup-Sharecare report, however suggests that only 20 percent of teens are sufficiently active.

Simple ways to get moving&nbsp; 
Adding exercise to your daily routine doesn&rsquo;t have to be difficult. A few simple tweaks can put you among the more than 53 percent of Americans who are regularly active:

<ul>
	<li>Skip the elevator and take the stairs</li>
	<li>Leave your car parked and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/wellness-healthy-living/article/proven-ways-your-commute-makes-you-healthier">bike or walk to work</a></li>
	<li>Ditch your landscaper and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/live-to-one-hundred/slideshow/surprising-ways-working-out">mow the lawn yourself</a></li>
	<li>Add a 30-minute post-dinner walk to your daily routine</li>
</ul>

Unexpected Factors That May Influence Your Exercise Habits

How can we find strength during tough times? Why do some people bend, but not break? And why is it useful to look at resilience like a GPS?

These are the themes explored in the seventh class of our Roadmap to Resilience series. Every month, Vonda Wright, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and resilience coach, will share techniques that will help you build mental strength and reframe the challenges in your life as opportunities.

Watch the class above and go to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRiKSjrkkMrlTZqKmBVW9OA" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Sharecare&rsquo;s YouTube page</a> for earlier classes from the series.

Leave a comment or question for Dr. Wright in the comments of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14phDPJym-0" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">YouTube video</a>&nbsp;and she may answer it in future videos. And don&#39;t forget to subscribe to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRiKSjrkkMrlTZqKmBVW9OA" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Sharecare&#39;s YouTube channel</a>&nbsp;so you don&rsquo;t miss a class in the Roadmap to Resilience series.

How Can Resilience Be My Internal GPS System?

Boost your morning mood with these easy, expert-approved tips.

9 Ways to Wake Up Happy (Without Coffee)

Think back to the countless times you&rsquo;ve sat in a doctor&rsquo;s waiting room, filling out a family health history questionnaire before an appointment. Often, this is done in a rush, with little thought to the importance or accuracy of the information. Do we really have the answer to every question about our immediate family&rsquo;s medical history, let alone the questions about our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins?

&ldquo;There is no such a thing as providing too much information,&rdquo; says Ramy Sayed, MD, an internal and pediatric physician with TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center in Smyrna, Tennessee. &ldquo;It is highly encouraged to provide as much information about the family history as possible to your health provider.&rdquo;

Even among your closest relatives, there may be health risks you don&rsquo;t know about, and it can be difficult to nail those down. A report by the National Institutes of Health found that people were better able to rule out conditions their family members did not have, rather than identify those they did have. When participants had to name actual diseases of family members, the accuracy varied significantly. Reports for types of cancer ranged from 33 to 95 percent accuracy, while reporting on mental health conditions was worse, with a range between 6 and 82 percent.

If you have a family gathering on the horizon, it may be a good time to bring up any questions that you may have about your family&rsquo;s medical history. These talks don&rsquo;t have to be awkward, either. Having a genuine interest in the health of your loved ones can help you discover ways to better inform your own medical decisions.

Health history questions to ask 
A complete family history should include information about three generations of relatives and their ethnic backgrounds. Ask a wide range of questions, focusing on conditions where heredity could be a risk factor. A few examples include:

<ul>
	<li>Has anyone in our family passed away at a young age from a disease?</li>
	<li>Has a family member been diagnosed with cancer? Were they diagnosed before age 50?</li>
	<li>Does heart disease run in our family? Has anyone had a heart attack or stroke and at what age?</li>
	<li>Have any family members developed diabetes and how old were they when diagnosed?</li>
	<li>Do you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol?</li>
	<li>Is there a history of autoimmune disorders within our family?</li>
	<li>Does anyone in our family have dementia or Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease?</li>
	<li>Do any of our relatives have a mental illness?</li>
</ul>

If the answer to any of the above is yes, don&rsquo;t hesitate to follow up with further questions. Ask about age of diagnosis, whether conditions affected multiple generations or if there were noticeable signs and symptoms. If there is a history of cancer in your family, it&rsquo;s relevant to note the types, if any relatives have had multiple cancer diagnoses or if multiple family members have had the same type of cancer.

These questions are far from an exhaustive list, but they can be a start in collecting important information to share with your healthcare provider (HCP). If you are worried about a specific health issue, it&rsquo;s worth starting a conversation with other family members to see if it has been a concern for them as well.

Why it&rsquo;s important 
&ldquo;Even though a patient cannot change their genetic makeup, knowing family history can help alter that risk for a better health outcome,&rdquo; says Dr. Sayed.

Most families have a history of at least one chronic condition or disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If your HCP has this information, together you can discuss what types of conditions to screen for and how often screenings should be done. If you suspect you may have an illness, Sayed notes that family history can also &ldquo;help establish a diagnosis, which may help with a better outcome or even a cure.&rdquo;

With the help of your HCP, you can also come up with prevention techniques for certain conditions. This may include lifestyle changes through diet, exercise and stress management. This may also involve medication, regular health screenings or genetic testing.

Heredity is just one risk factor in the development of some diseases. &ldquo;Not only do family members share genes, they may also share environment, lifestyle and habits, all of which increase or decrease the risk for developing certain health problems or diseases,&rdquo; notes Sayed.

It&rsquo;s also important to remember that the genetic links between some diseases and conditions are still being researched. Even if your chance of inheriting a condition is greater, that does not mean you will definitely be diagnosed with it.

How to ask your family 
If it&rsquo;s appropriate, Sayed thinks that gatherings can be a good time to discuss family medical history. &ldquo;Try to talk to family members about their health conditions by asking about why&rsquo;s and how&rsquo;s of their disease,&rdquo; he suggests. &ldquo;Even if the family members are healthy, asking about previous medical problems could be a conversation starter for an evening.&rdquo;

Since it might not be the most lighthearted discussion to have around the dinner table, you may prefer to speak to family members in a one-on-one setting. Make loved ones feel at ease by showing a genuine concern for their health and an interest in how they manage any conditions. Many relatives might be happy to discuss, since it allows them to share information, as well any struggles and challenges.

Others, however, may be reluctant to discuss their medical issues. They may be worried about alarming other family members or prefer to keep their health concerns private. Ask questions delicately and without prying, let them know that their answers may help other family members avoid becoming ill.

Mental health may be a particularly tough topic to bring up. Although common, some families find it taboo to speak about these conditions. &ldquo;Most of the patients only know about severe mental illness in the family from hospitalizations or recurrent exacerbation of the mental illness,&rdquo; says Sayed. A thoughtful way to broach the subject may be to share a recent news story or statistic you read about mental health. If you feel comfortable, talk about your own experience to open up a dialogue.

With the popularity of at-home genetic testing, many patients feel that they can find out about health risks without any of the awkward family conversations. Sayed cautions against relying on these tests alone. &ldquo;Genetic testing can provide valuable information. However, in most cases it raises more questions for the patient than it answers, sometimes at a considerable expense,&rdquo; he notes.

Many of these direct-to-consumer genetic tests are unproven and the results could be misleading, misinterpreted or completely incorrect. Plus, unexpected information about your genetics or family could be upsetting. If you do decide to proceed with one of these tests, any results, concerns and questions should be interpreted with your HCP.

Where to store your information 
After gathering your family history, keep it accessible so you can have it for future HCP appointments.

It can be as simple as hand writing all your information on a piece of paper to keep in your wallet or in a folder to take with you to appointments. Along with your history, write out the types of medication you take and their dosages.

It may be easier to type up a document that you can email to yourself. Documents can be secured with a password if you are worried about privacy. Although less secure, you can also keep family history within a notes app on your phone.

There are a number of online resources that can be used to organize your health history, as well.

The CDC and U.S. Surgeon General have created a web-based tool called &ldquo;My Family Health Portrait&rdquo; that digitally stores all your information. You can also download an app that keeps all of your relevant health information in one place. Both of these options allow you to easily access your data anywhere.

Regardless of what method you choose, having a complete family history ready for your HCP to view will save you time and help both of you make informed decisions about your health care. Be sure to share this information within your family as well, so you can help all of your loved ones live a healthier life.

Sources:

AO Berg, MA Baird, et al. &ldquo;National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference Statement: Family History and Improving Health.&rdquo; Annals of Internal Medicine. December 15, 2009. 151(12):872-7. 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. &ldquo;Family Health History for Adults.&rdquo; November 24, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
American Medical Association. &ldquo;Collecting a family history.&rdquo; 2021. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
National Institute of Mental Health. &ldquo;Looking at My Genes: What Can They Tell Me About My Mental Health?&rdquo; 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
American Cancer Society. &ldquo;Family Cancer Syndromes.&rdquo; August 5, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. &ldquo;Family Health History: The Basics.&rdquo; November 25, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
MedlinePlus. &ldquo;Why is it important to know my family medical history?&rdquo; April 13, 2021. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
MedlinePlus. &ldquo;What are the benefits and risks of direct-to-consumer genetic testing?&rdquo; September 18, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. &ldquo;Genetic Testing.&rdquo; March 23, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
MedlinePlus. &ldquo;Can a direct-to-consumer genetic test tell me whether I will develop cancer?&rdquo; September 28, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021. 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. &ldquo;Public Health Genomics and Precision Health Knowledge: My Family Health Portrait.&rdquo; May 1, 2020. Accessed April 16, 2021.

What You Need to Know About Your Family Health History

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield loved to complain about his physician, Dr. Vinnie Boombatz, whose careless instructions often left Dangerfield in worse condition. &ldquo;He told me to run five miles a day for eight weeks,&rdquo; Dangerfield gripes. &ldquo;I called him up and I said &lsquo;Doc, I&rsquo;m 70 miles from my house!&rsquo;&rdquo;

Dangerfield isn&rsquo;t the only patient who has suffered from miscommunication with a physician&hellip; and the miscommunication goes both ways.

From doc to patient: A survey published in JAMA finds more than a third of patients fail to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/tips-on-how-to-talk-to-your-doctor/slideshow/questions-always-ask-doctor">tell their doctor</a> if they disagree with treatment recommendations or don&rsquo;t understand them. That puts your health in jeopardy and it&rsquo;s a major cause of hospital readmission.

From patient to doc: The study also found 80 percent of people have lied to their doctors in ways that could affect their health and medical treatment. The top reason? To avoid being judged.

What to do: When your doc suggests treatment, make sure you understand. Demand clear explanations. And if you have a bad feeling about something, express it.

Your health history and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/wellness-healthy-living/article/lifestyle-changes-that-can-save-your-life">lifestyle habits</a> can be hard to discuss openly, especially if you&rsquo;ve made poor choices, such as smoking, not exercising or drinking excessively. But you need to get that info to your doc (ask them not to put it in the electronic record), so appropriate care can be offered. Most doctors are not judgmental&mdash;they just want to help you get and stay healthy. Trust us, we know these doctors exist.

Reasons Why You Need to Be Honest With Your Doctor

Driving through Honolulu on July 20 or 21, 2018, you may have noticed something strange about Aloha Tower and the IBM Building&mdash;they were both glowing red. It wasn&rsquo;t a fire, but a celebration of people with intellectual disabilities. The Light Up for Inclusion campaign marked Special Olympics International&rsquo;s 50th anniversary by illuminating monuments around the world. It&rsquo;s one of the many Special Olympics initiatives that spotlights an often-underserved community.

50 years of changing lives 
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is an international sports training and competition program designed for athletes of all ages and physical abilities with an intellectual disability. In 2017, Special Olympics Hawaii served over 3,400 athletes (at no cost to them) on six islands.

Through sports, Special Olympics aims to help its athletes uncover inner strengths and empowers them to grow socially, mentally and physically. As a result, according to research done by the organization, they&#39;re 200 percent more likely to be employed than non-participating individuals with intellectual disabilities. They develop improved motor skills and physical fitness, and tend to have a more positive self-image, as well.

The organization also strives to end stigmas associated with intellectual disabilities. &ldquo;Some of our athletes have had vision problems, and the assumption is that they can&rsquo;t catch a ball because they have a disability,&rdquo; says Dan Epstein, COO for Special Olympics Hawaii. &ldquo;And then all of a sudden they go through an eye exam and you realize they need glasses.&rdquo; Through working with medical professionals and the community at large, Special Olympics aims to curtail these common misconceptions.

Let the games begin 
Special Olympics Hawaii has year-round sports competitions divided into three seasons: spring, summer and fall. There are over 45 individual contests across Hawaii, including three state-wide events&mdash;Summer Games, Aukake Classic and Holiday Games.

<a href="http://www.specialolympicshawaii.org/sports/sports-offered.html" target="_blank">Sports offered</a> include:

<ul>
	<li>Basketball</li>
	<li>Bocce</li>
	<li>Bowling</li>
	<li>Flag football</li>
	<li>Golf (exhibition only)</li>
	<li>Power Lifting</li>
	<li>Soccer</li>
	<li>Softball</li>
	<li>Swimming</li>
	<li>Track and field</li>
</ul>

Any person age 8 and older with an intellectual disability can compete in Special Olympics events. For keiki aged 2 to 7, Special Olympics offers a <a href="http://www.specialolympicshawaii.org/get-involved/young-athletes-program.html" target="_blank">Young Athletes Program</a> focusing on pre-sports skills.

Athletes can also participate representing Hawaii in the Special Olympics USA Games, a national competition that welcomes thousands of athletes from all 50 states. In 2018, athletes from Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island competed in soccer, track and field and basketball at the Seattle USA Games. Costs for airfare, training, equipment and uniforms were covered by Special Olympics Hawaii through donations and local fundraising efforts.

&ldquo;Everything we provide is free of charge to our athletes and families, and all monies raised in Hawaii stay in Hawaii,&rdquo; says Healthy Communities Manager Jennifer Ernst. That includes the regular costs of flying athletes from neighbor islands to Oahu for the three annual competitions.

Focusing on health 
Special Olympics Hawaii is, at its core, a sports program, but like many nonprofits, its mission has grown over time. One of its current major initiatives is <a href="http://www.specialolympicshawaii.org/special-olympics-hawaii-initiatives/healthy-athlete-initiatives.html" target="_blank">Healthy Athletes</a>. Each year, athletes are provided free health screenings at the Summer Games held at the University of Hawai&lsquo;i, Mānoa. In 2017, over 500 exams were performed.

Health disparities are common among individuals with intellectual disabilities. According to statistics provided by Special Olympics, they&#39;re twice as likely to die before the age of 50 than those without intellectual disabilities. Many have poor or almost no access to healthcare, putting them at increased risk for medical and dental conditions. Diagnostic overshadowing is also common, where a physician may assume that physical symptoms are caused by a disability, instead of an underlying medical condition.

&ldquo;See the person, not the disability,&rdquo; says Ernst about diagnostic overshadowing. Through Healthy Athletes, Special Olympics Hawaii trains volunteer healthcare professionals who then go back to their practices with increased knowledge of and compassion for people with intellectual disabilities.

Next steps with Sharecare 
Sharecare and HMSA are working together to donate up to $100,000 to Special Olympics Hawaii, but we need your help! For each Hawaii-based new user who creates a profile and takes the RealAge Test, Sharecare will donate $5 across five Hawaii charities, including Special Olympics. From there, log your green days. Every green day earned&mdash;up to 30 days a month&mdash;is another $1 to charity through November 2018. Help your health and Special Olympics Hawaii this fall with Sharecare and HMSA.