In France, healthcare spending is increasing, chronic conditions are multiplying, and the healthcare system remains focused on treatment. Preventive measures exist, but their adoption varies by age group and region. Taking care of one’s health daily is not just a list of good resolutions: it is a constant balancing act between dietary habits, rest management, physical activity, and preventive medical follow-up.
My Prevention Assessment: a free service still underutilized
Since 2024, the My Prevention Assessment program allows insured individuals to benefit from a long and free consultation, lasting 30 to 45 minutes, focused on lifestyle habits. Diet, physical activity, addictive behaviors, mental health: the professional reviews the major health determinants with the patient.
These assessments target key age groups: 18-25 years, 45-50 years, 60-65 years, 70-75 years. As of June 30, 2026, more than 612,000 assessments had been completed. A modest figure when compared to the population concerned.
Since autumn 2025, pharmacists have become the main professionals conducting these appointments, representing more than half of the assessments performed. This shift to pharmacies facilitates access, especially in areas where medical services are limited.
The assessment does not replace a consultation with a doctor, but it provides an initial diagnosis on risky behaviors and directs individuals toward appropriate support. The sections dedicated to health on En Pleine Santé detail the various preventive measures covered by this type of assessment.
Nutrition and Sedentary Lifestyle Recommendations: What Has Changed Since 2024
Generic messages like “eat five fruits and vegetables a day” are now complemented by more precise recommendations. Public Health France presented new guidelines for adults in 2024, explicitly distinguishing physical activity and combating sedentary behavior as two separate objectives.
Moving for thirty minutes a day is not enough if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Available data show that breaking prolonged periods of inactivity (getting up every hour, walking for a few minutes) has a measurable effect on metabolic markers, regardless of other sports activities.
Diet: More Nuanced Guidelines Than Slogans
The updated recommendations emphasize reducing ultra-processed foods, the role of legumes and whole grains, and limiting processed meats. The National Nutrition Health Program (PNNS) also incorporates environmental considerations into its guidelines.
Despite a correct theoretical level of information, the gap between official recommendations and actual practices remains wide.
- Favor raw or minimally processed foods, limiting industrial dishes whose salt and additive content often exceeds PNNS guidelines
- Incorporate legumes (lentils, chickpeas, dried beans) several times a week as a source of plant-based proteins and fiber
- Spread fluid intake throughout the day rather than compensating with large volumes at meals
Sleep and Stress: Two Health Levers Often Treated Separately
Most articles on daily health treat sleep and stress management as two distinct topics. In practice, they function in a loop: chronic stress degrades sleep quality, and insufficient sleep amplifies stress reactivity.
Addressing one without considering the other limits results. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs, studied in the context of public health prevention, show effects on both parameters simultaneously.
Sleep Hygiene: Beyond Classic Advice
Reducing screen time before bed and maintaining regular schedules are well-known basics. What recent recommendations add is the importance of consistency in the wake-sleep rhythm, including on weekends. Significant variations in schedules between weekdays and weekends disrupt the biological clock similarly to jet lag.
Stress, on the other hand, cannot be managed solely through relaxation techniques. Moderate physical activity, the quality of social connections, and the ability to identify sources of professional or personal tension are determining factors. The body does not separate health pillars into watertight categories.
Chronic Disease Prevention: The Role of Micro-Habits
Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers: the HAS (High Authority of Health) identifies four main prevention levers, all related to lifestyle. Recent recommendations emphasize gradual changes rather than radical transformations.
The available data do not allow for concluding that a single factor (diet, exercise, sleep) outweighs the others. The combination of several modest adjustments produces documented cumulative effects.
- Walk at least thirty minutes a day and interrupt every hour of sitting with a few minutes of standing
- Limit alcohol consumption and eliminate tobacco, identified as the two most impactful risk factors on healthy life expectancy
- Maintain regular preventive follow-up, particularly benefiting from the My Prevention Assessment program at key ages
- Monitor weak signals (persistent fatigue, sleep disturbances, unexplained weight fluctuations) rather than waiting for clear symptoms to appear
Daily prevention does not rely on spectacular efforts but on the consistency of ordinary actions. Free preventive assessments remain the most concrete entry point to evaluate habits and identify priority adjustments before imbalances become entrenched.