Don’t rely on generic health checkup packages to prevent disease; only get those evidence‑based screenings appropriate for your age and gender.

There’s no cost at all, and you even save hundreds to thousands of yuan each year by avoiding these packages. The trade‑off is that you must remember which tests you need and how often to get them.

The 2019 update of the Cochrane systematic review included 17 randomized controlled trials. For overall mortality, data from 11 trials involving 233,298 participants and 21,535 deaths were pooled; the risk ratio for the screening group versus the control group was 1.00 (95% CI 0.97–1.03). A risk ratio of 1 means no difference between the groups. When looking at cardiovascular deaths, nine trials with 170,227 participants and 6,237 deaths yielded a risk ratio of 1.05 (95% CI 0.94–1.16). For cancer deaths, eight trials with 139,290 participants and 3,663 deaths gave a risk ratio of 1.01 (95% CI 0.92–1.12). In neither case was any meaningful difference observed. The authors therefore state that generic health checkups are probably not beneficial. As part of the national basic public health service, residents aged 35 and older receive a free annual blood pressure measurement, while those 65 and older get a free annual health checkup. This checkup includes a physical exam, complete blood count, urinalysis, liver function tests (AST, ALT, total bilirubin), kidney function tests (serum creatinine, blood urea), fasting blood glucose, electrocardiogram, and lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL‑C, HDL‑C). An abdominal ultrasound of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen is also offered nationwide.

Krogsbøll LT, Jørgensen KJ, Gøtzsche PC (2019). General health checks in adults for reducing morbidity and mortality from disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, CD009009. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD009009.pub3；国家卫生计生委 (2017). 国家基本公共卫生服务规范（第三版）（老年人健康管理服务、高血压患者健康管理服务）. https://www.nhc.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2017/04/20170417104506514.pdf

This recommendation specifically discourages using annual checkup packages as a disease‑prevention strategy; it does not mean that all medical tests are unnecessary. The free annual blood pressure measurement for those over 35 and the free annual checkup for seniors are already part of the national public health program, so there is no need to pay for them. Get tested only when there is a clear medical reason. Information on blood pressure, blood glucose, and hepatitis B can be found in sections 7, 8, and 14 of chapter 1; breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening details appear in sections 17, 18, and 19. Helicobacter pylori testing and low‑dose CT screening are covered in sections 23 and 24. If you have risk factors, follow the guidance in section 31. Age thresholds and recommended intervals for each test are also listed there. You may still attend employer‑sponsored or other paid health screenings; this advice applies only to those who would otherwise pay for a generic package or add extra tests on their own. People with chronic diseases, symptoms, or those ordered by a doctor to undergo specific tests are not covered by this recommendation, as those are diagnostic procedures, not screening. The tests with the least evidence supporting routine use are tumor markers and whole‑body imaging; see section 7 for PET‑CT and tumor‑marker packages. Guidance on managing asymptomatic high uric acid levels and silent gallstones is provided in sections 19 and 20. Finally, most of the trials included in the Cochrane review were conducted in high‑income countries where healthcare access is easy; this conclusion should not be directly applied to regions with limited medical resources.