Prevention

Which children have a higher risk of allergy? Can pregnant women do anything that will reduce the risk of allergy in their child? Is childhood immunisation the cause of the increase in allergies? We let you know what parents can do to try to prevent their children getting allergies.

What benefits can you expect if you lose weight? Our fact sheet has helpful answers to some typical questions about losing weight, including “How can I stay motivated over the long run?”, “How can I keep my weight?”, and “Will my health improve quickly once I have lost weight?”

Statutory health insurance funds in Germany have offered bowel cancer screening for over 30 years. In 2003 endoscopy of the bowel was added to the tests offered for screening. Recent trials make it possible to better assess what benefits can be expected from the tests and what their disadvantages are. Read about what the different tests can do in our feature on screening.

How beautiful the walk along the beach on a winter day – and how painful the grain of sand a gust of wind blows into the eye. Your eye will react by watering and blinking to try and flush out the foreign object. If that does not help, you should avoid rubbing your eye although that might feel like the natural thing to do. Rubbing might damage the cornea, especially if the object in your eye is hard or has sharp edges. This fact sheet explains what you can do yourself if you have a foreign object in your eye. And we can help you decide if you need to see a doctor immediately.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) play an important role in the development of cervical cancer. There is now a vaccine against some of these sexually transmitted viruses. However, the vaccine only works against the most common cancer-causing HPV viruses so it does not offer complete protection. You will find objective, neutral and up-to-date information on the HPV vaccine in our feature.

There is no shortage of recommendations about how to prevent bowel cancer: more fibre, less meat, vitamin supplements and even medicines feature in the long list of suggestions that have been propagated for years. We have studied the latest evidence to see how much scientific support there now is for these common recommendations.

Young people often feel sad, down or distressed. That's normal. Sometimes, though, it is more than normal blues: many children and young people get depressed. But depression can be prevented or at least recognised early.

What are the major risk factors for osteoporosis? Why do some people's bones break more easily when they are older? Does smoking influence bone health? Can exercise prevent bones becoming brittle? These and other interesting questions are discussed in our Fact Sheet. And you can use our calculator for a rough check on whether you are getting enough calcium.

It is estimated that about 30 out of every 100 men and women over the age of 65 will have a fall in any one year. The rate is even higher in people who live in nursing homes or residential care. Most of the falls do not have any serious consequences, but sometimes there is an injury that needs medical attention. Only about 1 in 10 falls causes a broken bone. Although falls cannot always be avoided, there are things that can be done to reduce the risk.

Half of all people who quit smoking do so without any medical help. Reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke can already have a positive effect. Even if you have tried and failed to quit smoking in the past, it is worth trying again. It often takes several attempts. Read about what can help people quit smoking, in pregnancy too.

You will find interesting facts on the benefits and risks of screening tests in this feature. You can find out, for example, why some screening tests cannot prevent diseases, why false test results can have serious consequences, what questions can help make decisions about a screening, and what “IGeL” stands for in the German health care system.

Parents know the problem well. Hardly a day goes by without some discussion about brushing teeth. And it is worthwhile, especially with children, to watch out for some basics. You can read more here about what researchers have learned about teeth or fissure sealants, toothbrushing and fluoride to prevent tooth decay. And you can test your knowledge about preventing tooth decay in our quiz.