Your guide to health screenings by age

Health screenings are an important part of preventive care. Screening tests look for signs of health problems or chronic diseases. They can often detect diseases before you experience symptoms. Diagnosing health problems early often means they’ll be easier to treat.

Health screenings can be blood tests, imaging tests, physical exams or questionnaires. The screenings you or your child need vary based on age, risk factors and sex.

Newborn health screenings

All newborns get a blood test to screen for chronic conditions that aren’t otherwise noticeable at birth. When your baby is one or two days old, their doctor uses a heel prick to take a small blood sample. The blood sample is tested for:

• Genetic diseases, conditions that occur because of a DNA change (mutation)
• Hemoglobin problems, issues with the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen throughout the body
• Hormone problems, issues with the chemical messengers that control body functions
• Metabolic diseases, problems with the way the body turns food into energy

Health screenings for children

Your child’s pediatrician typically provides the screenings they need during routine check-ups. Children may also get some health screenings at school, such as an annual vision and hearing test with the school nurse.

Screenings your child should get include:

• Growth checks: Starting at a baby’s first check-up, pediatricians weigh and measure children. They compare the numbers with growth charts that show the expected height and weight range for your child’s age. This helps tell us whether your child could have underlying health problems that affect their growth. 
• Dental health checks: When a baby’s first tooth appears, usually around 6 months, their pediatrician may start dental checks. They often apply a fluoride varnish to prevent tooth decay.
• Developmental screenings: When babies are around 9 months, developmental screenings start. You fill out a questionnaire about your baby’s behavior and growth to assess whether they’re developing as expected.
• Lead exposure screenings: Children should have a lead exposure screening test between ages 1 and 2. Doctors use a blood test to check for lead poisoning.
• Hearing tests: By the time children are toddlers, they usually get a hearing test. Toddlers and young children may have auditory brainstem (ABR) tests using small electrodes and earphones or otoacoustic emissions (OAE) tests, which use small ear devices. Older children usually get audiometry tests, where they wear headphones and tell the doctor whether they can hear certain sounds.
• Vision tests: Children start vision screenings between 1 and 3 years old. At this age, screening involves tests that take images of your child’s eye. As soon as children are old enough to read an eye chart, they get screening to test the sharpness of their vision. Children should have a comprehensive eye exam with an eye doctor before entering kindergarten.
• Body mass index (BMI): At age 2, pediatricians start tracking your child’s BMI, a measurement based on height, weight, age and sex. BMI screenings can help identify your child’s risk of weight-related health problems, such as type 2 diabetes or sleep apnea.
• Blood pressure: Routine blood pressure checks should start around age 3. The doctor uses a blood pressure cuff that squeezes around your child’s upper arm for a few seconds. Blood pressure checks screen for high blood pressure, which can be related to heart problems, kidney disease or genetic conditions.

Health screenings for teens

Teenagers should continue annual vision tests, BMI screenings and blood pressure checks. They’ll also get screenings related to other physical or mental health problems, such as:

• Scoliosis checks: In early adolescence, children start exams to check for a curved spine (scoliosis). A doctor or nurse physically examines the back for signs of scoliosis, such as an uneven waist or one prominent shoulder.
• Depression screenings: Pediatricians ask teens questions about their mental health or risk of suicide.
• Screenings for drug or alcohol use: Pediatricians also may ask older teens about drug and alcohol use. They can provide counseling about risky behaviors, such as substance use, or drinking and driving.
• Sexual health screenings: Pediatricians may speak with older teens about the risks of sexual activities, such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or unintended pregnancy.

Health screenings for young adults

At age 21, young men and women should continue blood pressure checks, BMI checks, vision tests and depression screenings. Additional health screenings for adults ages 21 and older include:

• Cervical cancer screening: Experts recommend all women 21 to 29 get a Pap test every three years. During the test, your provider obtains a small cell sample from your cervix and analyzes it for cancerous or precancerous cells. At age 30, women should either continue Pap tests every three years or start human papillomavirus (HPV) tests every five years. The HPV test evaluates a swab of cervical cells for HPV only.
• Cholesterol screening: A simple test checks the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in your blood. High LDL levels can increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Experts recommend men with no heart disease risk factors start cholesterol screening at age 35. Women with no risk factors should start by age 45. 
• Diabetes screening: A blood test measures your blood sugar (glucose) levels. High glucose could mean you’re at risk of type 2 diabetes. All men and women should get diabetes screenings by age 35.

Health screenings for mid-life adults

Starting around age 40, men and women should add in a few new health screenings, including:

• Breast cancer screening: The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends all women start screening mammograms at age 40. A mammogram involves taking multiple X-rays of your breasts to look for irregularities that could be cancerous. Screening mammograms should continue every one to two years.
• Colorectal cancer screening: Both men and women should start colorectal cancer screenings by age 45. Colonoscopy is the gold standard screening tool. During the test, your doctor uses a flexible instrument (endoscope) to examine the inside of your large intestine. Depending on your risk factors, you may be eligible for other screening tests, such as a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) or stool-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) to check stool samples for signs of cancer.  
• Lung cancer screening: Men and women who have a 20 pack-year smoking history may need lung cancer screenings starting at age 50. Pack-years are the number of packs of cigarettes you smoke daily multiplied by the number of years you have smoked. Doctors use imaging tests called low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans to check for signs of lung cancer.
• Prostate cancer screening: Some men benefit from prostate cancer screening after age 50. Your doctor may recommend a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test or a digital rectal exam.

Health screenings for older adults  

All women over 65 and men at high risk should get a bone density screening to check for signs of osteoporosis, a progressive disease that causes bones to become very brittle and break easily. Doctors use a low-dose X-ray called a DEXA scan to measure the thickness and strength of your bones.

Screening such as blood pressure checks, cholesterol tests and diabetes screenings are important to continue as you get older. But you may stop other screenings, depending on your risk factors and previous test results. Your doctor may recommend stopping:

• Cervical cancer screening after age 65
• Prostate cancer screening after age 70
• Breast cancer screening after age 75
• Colorectal cancer screening after age 75
• Lung cancer screening after age 80

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