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What is a Health Risk Assessment:

• A Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is a way to describe a person’s chances or risks of becoming ill or dying from diseases and other causes.
• Feedback in the form of a report can help a person decide how to reduce their risks.
• Approximately 50 years of research has gone into developing the science of Health Risk Assessments.
• Although the HRA was originally developed as a paper and pencil instrument, it has since evolved into an interactive electronic tool that provides a personal health assessment score, tailored educational messages and other resources to motivate behavior change and achieve risk reduction.

Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is the generic term applied to how we estimate and describe a person’s chances of becoming ill or dying from certain diseases (e.g. high blood pressure, heart disease) and other causes (e.g. smoking, not wearing seat belts) over a certain period of time (e.g. 10 years). It involves the following:

• Reviewing information on a person’s lifestyle and health behaviors, laboratory values and physical measures
• Estimating the risk of death and/or illness (current risk age)
• Estimating how much risk can be reduced based on epidemiologic data, mortality statistics, and actuarial techniques (target risk age)
• Feedback in the form of a report is given based on the individual’s current and target risk age
• The ability to understand the natural history of disease and to use this knowledge for the benefit of the public is at the heart of the development of any health risk appraisal instrument
• It is a proactive response to the risk factors that cause disease or injury. By knowing our risks for the onset of a given disease, priorities and programs can be developed to reduce these risks potentially forestalling or eliminating the disease or condition.
• Through these combined activities, patients, health providers, scientists, health educators and technical experts can accelerate the achievement of our national health goals, bringing us ever closer to the ideal of a healthy nation.

What do I do with it?

• Review it with your primary care provider and identify the things you can and want to do to reduce your risks of illness.
• Identify a problem to address
• Set a goal and a simple plan to get there. This may include learning about healthier behaviors or how to manage a condition. It may also include things such as seeking ways to quit smoking or to exercise more.
• Start following your plan.
• As you begin to have success, add another goal.
• Surround yourself with others to help you.

Need more help: J.C. Blair Health System