Only five per cent of British women attend annual full body health screenings, even though one in four are aware of a family history of breast cancer, and half have a family history of high blood pressure.

Research compiled by private medical insurer PruHealth reveals that a high proportion of women in the UK are aware of a history of chronic diseases - such as breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes or heart disease - in their family.

High blood pressure and heart disease feature most highly on women’s health radars; 51 per cent of women note high blood pressure in their family and 46 per cent of women are aware that they have a family history of heart disease.

However, despite the possibility of inheriting the disease, 79 per cent of women and over half of women over 50 have never been for a full body health screening, despite entitlement to free mammograms every three years on the NHS. Only one in twenty women cite worries about cancer as their main health concern.

In fact, 23 per cent of women are most concerned by their weight. A separate study published last week found that British women are now the most obese in Europe, with 23 per cent of women classed as clinically obese.

One in ten cases of breast cancer and colon cancer are thought to have a hereditary cause and people who have one or more close family members with high blood pressure before the age of 60 are twice as likely to have high blood pressure.

“Your family history is important as it may hold information that predicts your future health,” said Dr Chris Dark, Medical Director at PruHealth. “Risks for some diseases are inherited and by knowing your family history you may be able to take simple measures to reduce them.”

Over a third of women say they would go for a health screen themselves if the service was available on the NHS to women of all ages. A new policy not to screen women aged 20-24 was recently cited by the British Medical Journal as a factor in the falling number of young women attending smear tests, and could increase the risk of cancer developing in young women. (Read More: New Smear Test Policy Puts Young Women at Risk).

He added that taking proactive steps to monitor your health can help detect early signs of a chronic disease.

“Women over the age of 50 should go for regular breast screenings and it’s beneficial for women of any age to have a full body health screening if they are at a high risk of developing a chronic disease,” he said.