Family Reunion Activities for Health Information
Family members have a wealth of information that can be helpful for you to learn about health issues that may affect you and your loved ones. When at a family reunion, take advantage of the rare opportunity to learn about your family's health history. The information can help you and the other family members identify risk factors for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Your doctor can use this information to help assess your risk of disease, and you can get early screenings for those areas that may present risk.
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Introduce Family History Initiative
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During the opening ceremony, introduce information on the Surgeon General's Family History Initiative, which encourages American families to learn more about their family health history. Set up a computer and demonstrate the computerized, web-based program that creates a portrait of your family's health by organizing family history information. You may want to set it up ahead of time and save it to your own computer, then share the information with family members.
Exchange Family Recipes
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During the planning stages of your family reunion, ask members to bring their favorite family recipes and recipes that have been passed down through the generations. At the reunion exchange recipes and form groups to adapt the recipes for healthier options that are lower in saturated fat, salt and calories. If possible, form the groups with relatives who have diseases in common, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity or other conditions, and they can share stories that may be helpful to others.
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Develop Health Quizzes
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Talk about family health during your family reunion, and discuss health issues that are common in your family. Take a health quiz with family members to determine your risk for disease. Find quizzes that relate to topics such as birth defects and developmental disabilities, body weight or heart disease. Although you cannot change genes, you can change behaviors that affect your health, such as smoking, being sedentary and poor eating habits.
Promote Physical Activity
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Plan your reunion to include physical activities, such as hiking, dancing, tennis or bowling. Talk about how these activities raise breathing and heart rates and help reduce your risk for many diseases. In addition to controlling weight, physical exercise contributes to healthy bones, muscles and joints; and, for older members of the family, stress the need to reduce falls that lead to broken bones
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References
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