Your family history includes health information about you and your close relatives. Family history is an important risk factor for problems like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of getting a disease. The reason a family history can help predict risk is that families share their genes, as well as other factors that affect health, like environment, lifestyles and habits.

Having a family member with a disease raises your risk, but it does not mean that you will definitely get it. Realizing that you are at risk gives you a chance to reduce that risk by following a healthier lifestyle and getting tested as needed.

You can get started by talking to your relatives about their health. Draw a family tree and add the health information. Having copies of medical records and death certificates is also helpful.

• Follow instructions in the “Your Family History-Your Future” guide.
• Make list of all of your family members.
• Use this sample family tree as a guide to draw your own family tree.
• Write your name at the top of your paper and date you drew your family tree.
• In place of the words father, mother etc., write the names of your family members.
• When possible, draw your brothers and sisters and your parents’ brothers and sisters starting with the oldest to the youngest, going from left to right across the paper.
• If dates-of-birth or ages are not known, guess (e.g. 50’s, late 60’s)