Living better for longer: The health checks for your 40s, 50s and beyond

Sydney Morning Herald

a day ago

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for preventative health checks, individual factors– including family or personal medical history, gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle – influence which tests a person should undertake, as well as when to begin them and the frequency at which they are performed.
However, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) does recommend certain health screens for the general population at each decade of life.
In your 40s
'By your early 40s, you should have a thorough check-up, including history and a full physical examination,' says Dunne.
Certain regular health screenings should also begin. These include annual blood pressure monitoring from age 40 and STI tests if you are sexually active.
Five-yearly blood tests for cholesterol, glucose, cell counts, and nutrition deficiency, as well as bowel cancer screening, should begin at age 45.
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Skin cancer checks are recommended due to the increased risk with age, and due to a trend of increasing colon cancer in people under age 50, the Australian government has recently changed the starting age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45, says Ding.
In your 50s
Natasha Yates, assistant professor of general practice at Bond University, says that people in their 50s should continue all the health screenings from their 40s, with the addition of some others.
'Add a bone health assessment and consider screening for osteoporosis, especially if risk factors are present,' she says.
'Vision and hearing tests to detect age-related changes are also recommended.'
Yates says the National Lung Cancer Screening Program is due to commence in July this year. It will offer two-yearly low-dose CT scans to detect lung cancer in asymptomatic patients aged 50 to 70 who are deemed to be at high risk from smoking, she says.
In your 60s
In addition to existing screenings, Yates says that a cognitive function evaluation, which assesses for signs of cognitive decline or dementia, should be undertaken. Similarly, a physical functioning screening for preventing falls and frailty should also be considered, adds Ding.
70s and beyond
In your 70s, on top of existing checks, ensure your immunisations, including tetanus and shingles, are up-to-date, says Dunne.
'There is a funded vaccination program for older Australians, including influenza, COVID, shingles and pneumococcal pneumonia,' he says.
Gendered screenings
Due to anatomy and physiology, women and men each have unique health risks, which warrant their own specific health screenings.
'For example, whereas women are at risk of cancers of the cervix, ovaries and uterus, men are at risk of prostate cancer,' says Dunne.
Gender can also impact their approach to healthcare.
'Unlike women, who are often introduced to regular health screenings from a young age, such as pap smears, breast checks, and GP visits for contraception, men typically don't develop the same routine health-seeking behaviours,' Dunne says.
'This makes early detection for men especially important, as they are more likely to delay seeking help until symptoms become severe.'
Health screenings for men 40 +
Men in their 40s should discuss with their GP screening tests for things like prostate cancer, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.
'Your GP will consider your individual circumstances, including family history, when recommending when to begin these tests,' says Dunne.
Screening tests and regular GP check-ups should continue through your 50s and 60s.
Health screening for women 40 +
Women are going through a lot during their 40s and 50s, says general practitioner Judith Hammond of women's health clinic, Jean Hailes.
'Peri menopause, menopause … women start to get to that sandwich generation, when they are working, worried about children who need support and supporting elderly parents, life really gets quite crushed around that time,' she says.
In this period, it is increasingly important for women to undergo mental health screening, she says.
Additionally, regular breast cancer screening via free mammograms can be undertaken from age 40.
Although mammography is recommended every two years for women aged 50–74, those at moderately increased risk [including a family history of breast cancer] should consider mammography screening from the age of 40, says Hammond.
Cervical cancer screening – which can be self-collected in a private space within a healthcare facility – is recommended every five years for women aged 25–74 who have ever had sexual contact, even if they are not currently in a sexual relationship. From the age of 70, it is also recommended that women have bone density scans every five years.