Your Personal Prevention Index

The Prevention Index takes stock of the nation's health, but you can also score your own prevention profile by taking the test below. Carefully check "yes" or "no" to each of the following questions:

1. Do you have your blood pressure taken at least once a year?
2. Do you go to the dentist at least once a year for treatment or a checkup?
3. Is your body weight within the recommended range for your gender, height, and bone structure?
4. Do you exercise strenuously (so that you breathe heavily and your heart rate is accelerated for a period lasting at last 20 minutes) 3 days or more a week?
5. Do you smoke cigarettes now?
6. Do you consciously take steps to control or reduce stress in your life?
7. Do you usually sleep a total of 7 or 8 hours during each 24-hour day? (If you usually sleep either more or less than this please mark "no.")
8. Do you socialize with close friends, relatives, or neighbors at least once a week?
9. In general, when you drink alcoholic beverages, do you consume less than 14 drinks a week and less than 5 drinks on any single day? (Mark yes" if the answer to both parts is "yes." If you never drink at all, also mark "yes."
10. Do you wear a seat belt all the time when you are in the front seat of a car?
11. Do you drive at or below the speed limit all the time? (If you don't drive please mark "yes.")
12. Do you ever drive after drinking? (If you don't drink, please mark "no.")
13. Do you have a smoke detector in your home?
14. Does anyone in your household ever smoke in bed?
15. Do you take any special steps or precautions to avoid accidents in and around your home?
16. Do you try to avoid eating too much salt or sodium?
17. Do you try to avoid eating too much fat?
18. Do you try to eat enough fiber from whole grains, cereals, fruits, and vegetables?
19. Do you try to avoid eating too many high-cholesterol foods such as eggs, dairy products, and fatty meats?
20. Do you try to get enough vitamins and minerals in foods or supplements?
21. Do you try to avoid eating too much sugar and sweet food?

Notes:

• A drink is defined as a shot of hard liquor, a can or bottle of beer, or a glass of wine.
• The healthy answer for questions 5, 12, and 14 is "no."
• The healthy answer for all the other questions is "yes."

Scoring:

Add up your total number of health responses and then divide that number by 21, which tells you the percentage of the 21 Prevention Index Behaviors that you practice.