For John, booking an NHS Health Check was prompted by a combination of family history and seeing friends begin to prioritise their own health. As a parent of five children with a busy family life, finding time for healthy habits had become increasingly difficult, and concerns about cardiovascular disease made it important to understand his current health risks.

"My friends were all starting to have their NHS Health Checks, and after losing my brother to cardiovascular disease when he was in his 40s, I felt it was something I needed to do too. Life is busy with five children, my activity levels had dropped, my diet wasn't great and I was also a smoker."

Norfolk NHS Health Checks provide adults aged 40 to 74 with a free assessment of their cardiovascular health. The service helps people understand their risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, while providing practical advice and referrals to support healthier lifestyle changes.

"I expected the results to show that I needed to make some changes because of my lifestyle and family history. After the NHS Health Check, I felt determined to take action. My blood pressure and cholesterol were both high and combined with being a smoker and my family history, my QRISK score and heart age were much higher than they should have been."

"The results gave me a real incentive to do something about my health. I want to be a healthy father for my children and be there to see them grow up, so I knew it was time to make some changes and speak to my GP about the next steps."

"Following the NHS Health Check, I've been signposted to a free weight loss programme, and my goal is to become more active and improve my diet. Once I've made progress with my weight, I plan to take on the challenge of quitting smoking too."

"I know there will be challenges, especially around finding time and managing stress, but I'm committed to building healthier habits that fit around family life and finding activities that I can maintain long term."

"My advice to anyone who is unsure about having an NHS Health Check is simple: it's worth finding out your risks as early as possible. Once you know where you stand, you can take steps to improve your health. Prevention is always better than the cure."