health risk appraisal

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An assessment tool used by health promoters to evaluate a person's health. The appraisal usually takes the form of an extended questionnaire that enquires into personal lifestyle, and personal and family medical history. The appraisal may also include a physical examination, laboratory tests of blood chemistry (e.g. of cholesterol level), blood pressure, and physical fitness levels. The outcome is a profile identifying specific risks (e.g. heavy smoking and sedentary lifestyle) with strategies and targets for reducing the risks.

A process of gathering, analyzing, and comparing an individual’s prognostic characteristics of health with a standard age group, thereby predicting the likelihood that a person may develop prematurely a health problem associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate.

A health risk appraisal (HRA) is a computer-based health-promotion tool, consisting of a questionnaire, a formula for estimating health risks (e.g., premature death), an advice database, and a means to generate reports. Its roots lie in efforts to guide physicians in promoting health as well as treating illness. HRAs are widely used in worksite wellness programs and community-based health programs as well as health care settings.

Typical aims are to assess health risks and lifestyle choices; to motivate individuals to adopt or maintain beneficial lifestyle practices; to guide health-promotion activities of health plans, employers, and health agencies; and to create a database profile of the population appraised. A key element of any HRA is personalized feedback to identify areas of excess health risk and recommend actions. More information is available from the Society of Prospective Medicine at http://www.spm.org.

(SEE ALSO: Assessment of Health Status; Behavior, Health-Related; Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Health Promotion and Education; Risk Assessment, Risk Management)

Bibliography

Society of Prospective Medicine (1999). Handbook of Health Assessment Tools. West Lafayette, IN: Society for Prospective Medicine.

— DENNIS D. TOLSMA

An assessment tool used by health promoters to evaluate how healthy a person is. A health-risk appraisal usually takes the form of an extended questionnaire that enquires into personal lifestyle habits, and personal and family medical history. It may be accompanied by laboratory tests for blood analysis, blood pressure, and physical fitness levels. The outcome is a profile outlining areas of high risk, and this is usually accompanied by strategies and targets for lifestyle change.