Nursing and Healthcare

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Health promotion involves empowering individuals to enhance their control over health and its determinants by fostering health literacy and engaging in multisectoral initiatives to promote healthy behaviours. It encompasses activities aimed at the broader community or populations at heightened risk of adverse health outcomes. Health promotion commonly addresses behavioral risk factors like tobacco use, obesity, diet, physical inactivity, and also extends to mental health, injury prevention, drug abuse prevention, alcohol control, health behaviors related to HIV, and sexual health.

While disease prevention and health promotion share similar objectives, there is substantial overlap in their functions. On a conceptual level, disease prevention services primarily operate within the healthcare sector, while health promotion services rely on intersectoral collaboration and address social determinants of health.