Plenty of adults go years without a check-up. Maybe you felt fine, lost insurance for a while, or just moved to Central Florida and never found a new doctor. It is not too late, and you do not have to catch up on everything at once. A few screenings matter far more than others, and several can be done with one visit and one blood draw.
This list ranks the screenings adults most often fall behind on, and the ones where catching up makes the biggest difference. It follows the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). If you want the full age-by-age checklist instead, see our preventive health screenings by age guide. This page is about the order to tackle things when you are starting from zero.
The screenings to catch up on, in order
Blood pressure check
Best for: Every adult, first visit
High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, which is why it goes unnoticed for years. It is the quickest screening there is, and it shapes almost everything else your doctor recommends. A high office reading should be confirmed with readings taken outside the office, such as on a home monitor, before treatment starts.
- USPSTF: screen all adults 18 and older
- Yearly from age 40, or sooner if you are at higher risk
- Every 3-5 years for adults 18-39 with normal readings and no added risk
Diabetes and prediabetes screening (A1c or fasting glucose)
Best for: Adults 35-70 with overweight or obesity
Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes can build quietly for a decade. An A1c test does not require fasting, so it is easy to add to a first visit. The USPSTF suggests screening earlier if you have a family history of diabetes, had gestational diabetes or PCOS, or belong to a group with higher diabetes rates.
- USPSTF: adults 35-70 with overweight or obesity
- If normal, repeating every 3 years is reasonable
Cholesterol (lipid panel)
Best for: Adults 40-75, and anyone with heart risk factors
A lipid panel feeds the 10-year heart risk estimate your doctor uses. The USPSTF recommends a statin for many adults 40-75 with at least one risk factor, like diabetes, high blood pressure or smoking, and a 10-year risk of 10% or more. It comes from the same blood draw as your A1c. More in understanding cholesterol and heart health.
- Same blood draw as the A1c
Colorectal cancer screening
Best for: Everyone 45-75
The starting age dropped from 50 to 45 in 2021, so many people in their late 40s do not realize they are due. You do not have to start with a colonoscopy: a yearly stool test done at home is an accepted option, with a colonoscopy if it is positive.
- USPSTF: adults 45-75
- Options include a yearly FIT stool test, stool DNA-FIT every 1-3 years, or colonoscopy every 10 years
- Ages 76-85: a personal decision with your doctor
Breast cancer screening (mammogram)
Best for: Women 40-74
In 2024 the USPSTF lowered the starting age for routine mammograms from 50 to 40, every 2 years. If you have never had one, or it has been several years, put this near the top of your list.
- USPSTF 2024: every 2 years, ages 40-74
Cervical cancer screening
Best for: Women 21-65
If your last Pap test was more than a few years ago, you are likely due. The 2018 USPSTF recommendation, still current, gives women 30-65 three schedules to choose from. Women over 65 with adequate past screening can usually stop.
- Ages 21-29: Pap test every 3 years
- Ages 30-65: Pap every 3 years, HPV test every 5 years, or both every 5 years
Hepatitis C test
Best for: Every adult 18-79, at least once
Hepatitis C can damage the liver for years without symptoms, and it is treatable. The USPSTF recommends every adult 18-79 be tested at least once, whatever their history. It is one more line on the same blood draw.
- USPSTF 2020: adults 18-79
HIV test
Best for: Everyone 15-65, at least once
HIV screening is recommended for everyone in this age range, not just people who think they are at risk. Many adults have simply never been tested. People with ongoing risk are tested more often.
- USPSTF 2019: ages 15-65
Lung cancer screening (low-dose CT)
Best for: Adults 50-80 with a 20 pack-year smoking history
If you smoke now or quit within the past 15 years, and smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 20 years, you likely qualify for a yearly low-dose CT scan. Many eligible adults never hear about it.
- USPSTF 2021: ages 50-80, 20 pack-years
- Current smokers, or quit within 15 years
Bone density (DEXA) scan
Best for: Women 65 and older
Osteoporosis often shows up first as a broken wrist or hip. A bone density scan finds thinning bones before that happens. Postmenopausal women under 65 with risk factors should also be screened.
- USPSTF 2025: women 65 and older
- Younger postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors
Abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound
Best for: Men 65-75 who have ever smoked
A one-time ultrasound of the large artery in the belly. It is last only because it applies to a narrower group. If you are a man in this age range and have ever smoked, ask about it.
- USPSTF 2019: one-time screening
How to catch up without feeling overwhelmed
- Start with one visit. Blood pressure, A1c, cholesterol, hepatitis C and HIV can all be handled at one appointment, with the blood draw done in our in-house laboratory.
- Bring what you have. Old lab results, past mammogram or colonoscopy reports and a medicine list help your doctor skip what is already done.
- Know your family history. A parent or sibling with colon cancer, breast cancer or early heart disease can move some screenings earlier.
- Book the outside tests next. Mammograms, colonoscopies and CT scans happen elsewhere. Your doctor can order them and handle referrals to specialists.
- Catch up on vaccines too. See our list of vaccines adults over 50 often miss.
If you are new to the area, our guide to setting up health care in Central Florida walks through transferring records and prescriptions. And if you are still choosing a practice, see our list of doctors accepting new patients in Davenport.
When not to wait for a screening
Screenings are for people without symptoms. If you have chest pain, signs of a stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, trouble speaking), or a blood pressure over 180/120 with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or vision changes, call 911. New symptoms like blood in your stool, a breast lump or unexplained weight loss need a prompt visit, not a routine screening appointment.
Start catching up in Davenport
Elon Health Primary Care is a family medicine practice at 43378 US Highway 27, Suite B, in Davenport, near US-27 and I-4, and we are accepting new patients. Dr. Sandeep Pandya and our team can review what you are due for and build a plan you can actually keep. Call 352-508-5254 or request an appointment. Visits are by appointment, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.