Facebook Wants to Offer You Advice on Preventive Health Care (1)

Facebook Inc. is cracking the door open into another part of its users’ personal lives: their health.

The social media giant on Monday announced a feature that will use a person’s age and gender to provide preventive health-care information, including suggested checkups. Users can then find a nearby doctor or clinic, set a reminder for their appointment and mark it “done” once they’ve completed a visit -- all on Facebook.

The company says the feature is intended to encourage more people to take steps to prevent health issues. “I take care of patients every day who come in with acute ...