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Americans will go to great lengths to protect themselves from medical risks, even when the level of risk is unclear or unproven. The threat of mad cow disease, for instance, drives some people to boycott beef, pesticide concerns lead others to eat only organic foods, and fears about vaccine safety prevent some parents from immunizing their children. Ironically, some of these same people fail to act against serious, and well-documented, medical risks. For example, one in every three women ignores the screening recommendations for breast cancer.
    Cost is one reason. When people are feeling well, it’s hard to persuade them that they should pay for a test that might not find a problem.
    Physicians bear some responsibility also. Increasingly pressed for time, they’re forced to prioritize what they do during an office visit. Preventive interventions typically take a back seat to more immediate problems.
    Further, doctors and patients have lacked clear-cut evidence about which preventive tests and services are most cost-effective and which provide the most health benefits. Recently, a study released in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine offers a plan of action to anyone who strives for good health but doesn’t know where to begin.
    "We’ve tried to identify the most important things patients can get from their doctors," says Ashley Coffield, a member of the research group.
    For children, immunizations top the list. Currently licensed vaccines have proved highly protective and, despite alarmist messages to the contrary, the risks associated with their use are quite small.
    For adults, discussing daily aspirin use with their physician is rated one of the most beneficial. Among men 40 and older and women 50 and older, low-dose aspirin therapy can dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.