Free BUPA Health Check

As part of their Wellness programme BUPA have launched a free online health check not just for its own members but for members of the general public. BUPA are the UK's largest provider of medical health insurance for both corporate and individuals.

Dr Peter Mace, deputy medical director of Bupa Wellness, said, 'We know people are worried about the credit crunch yet they still want to take care of their health.

'We also know that they are increasingly using the internet for health information and advice. Bupa's free online healthcheck is backed by qualified doctors and based on sound clinical evidence.'

The health check asks you questions about your health and lifestyle to asses your risks. It looks at lifestyle risks which relate to your diet, fitness and stress levels and your medical risk of serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes . The report tells you about the main risks that you are facing and how this affects your life expectancy. The site will also let you know what you can do to improve your situation with guidance on what is most important to tackle first. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes.

BUPA offer a wide range of hands-on health screens:

-BUPA Advanced Health for £728 (including a mammography for ladies over 40).
-BUPA Complete Health for £578 (including a mammography for ladies over 40)
-BUPA Mature Health £549 for the over 65's
-BUPA Female Health for £299

The benefits of health checks are mainly preventative but according to BUPA, 'For one in three people who come to us, we discover health issues they didn't know about. At an early stage, even serious conditions such as heart disease and cancer can be successfully treated and related problems are less likely to develop later on'.