Introduction
Prevention science
● Prevention science
= science that tries to prevent psychological and physical illnesses and promote overall health and
well-being through evidence based practice at individual and systemic levels
→ an interdisciplinary specialty that requires integration from multiple disciplines including
psychology, counseling, social work, education, health sciences, economics and public affairs
● Main aims:
1. advancing health at individual and societal levels
2. by informing policymakers
● More aims:
1. reduce preventable deaths
2. reduce number of lost years
3. increase healthy life years
4. increase quality of life
5. reduce the economical impact of diseases
● Causes of death (WHO, 2016):
→ increase over years but still differences between higher and lower income countries
→ still to much health life years lost
→ important: defining problem and area of intervention
● Distinction in type of causes:
1. communicable: can catch it from someone else
2. non-communicable: can’t catch it from someone else
3. injury
● Be aware that when you want to implement a prevention campaign, you need to know where you are
implementing it
● Preventable deaths
= number of death that could be potentially prevented either by prevention or by medical intervention
(treatable)
● Premature deaths
= deaths occuring before the age of 75
→ calculated as a percentage of the total deaths
1
,● Years of life lost
= number of years that people lose due to death or illness
→ illness measures as having impairment in taking part in everyday life
● Years lost to disability (YLD)
= number of years that a person lives with a limitation
→ does not implicate a loss of QoL (can be a major problem or not at all)
● Healthy life expectancy
= life expectancy in good health
● Disability-adjusted life years (DALY)
= years lost by being sick or premature death
● Quality-adjusted life years (QALY)
= improvement in quality of living after an intervention
● Disability
= umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions
→ impairment = problem in body function or structure
→ activity limitation = difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action
→ participation restriction = problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations
→ disability is complex phenomenon reflecting interaction between features of a person’s body and
features of society in which he lives
● Quality of life (QoL)
= individual’s perception of their position in life in context of culture and value systems in which they
live and in relation to their goals
●
● Risk factors:
2
, → tobacco use still highest
→ high increase in high fasting plasma glucose and decrease in LDL and air pollution
● Is cancer preventable?
→ 40% of cancers could be prevented if current understanding of risk and protective factors was
translated into effective primary prevention
→ cancer screening and other approaches to early detect premalignant lesions can also contribute to
reduce cancer incidence and mortality
→ classified as non-preventable: strong genetic factors, unknown trigger, …
→
● Coronary heart disease is preventable:
→ low rates in Japan due to their way of life
→ decrease in rates in USA due to therapeutic advances
→ in UK they fail to prevent it
● Implications come with a cost but advantages can outweigh costs
→ implementing preventions has a cost
→ cost can be lower than healthcare system would have to carry without prevention
● Expenses on health:
→ positive relationship between spending on health and life expectancy
3
, ● Tobacco use:
→ modification:
increasing price of cigarettes (very effective)
● Alcohol:
→ campaigns to prevent hazardous use of alcohol
→ more in men, use increases up to 75 years and overuse peaks from 55 to 64 years
● Healthy eating:
→ differences across countries in amount of fruit and vegetables eaten per day
● Eating and drinking behavior:
→ a lot of discussion about sugar-sweetened drinks vs. artificially sweetened drinks and their risks
4
Prevention science
● Prevention science
= science that tries to prevent psychological and physical illnesses and promote overall health and
well-being through evidence based practice at individual and systemic levels
→ an interdisciplinary specialty that requires integration from multiple disciplines including
psychology, counseling, social work, education, health sciences, economics and public affairs
● Main aims:
1. advancing health at individual and societal levels
2. by informing policymakers
● More aims:
1. reduce preventable deaths
2. reduce number of lost years
3. increase healthy life years
4. increase quality of life
5. reduce the economical impact of diseases
● Causes of death (WHO, 2016):
→ increase over years but still differences between higher and lower income countries
→ still to much health life years lost
→ important: defining problem and area of intervention
● Distinction in type of causes:
1. communicable: can catch it from someone else
2. non-communicable: can’t catch it from someone else
3. injury
● Be aware that when you want to implement a prevention campaign, you need to know where you are
implementing it
● Preventable deaths
= number of death that could be potentially prevented either by prevention or by medical intervention
(treatable)
● Premature deaths
= deaths occuring before the age of 75
→ calculated as a percentage of the total deaths
1
,● Years of life lost
= number of years that people lose due to death or illness
→ illness measures as having impairment in taking part in everyday life
● Years lost to disability (YLD)
= number of years that a person lives with a limitation
→ does not implicate a loss of QoL (can be a major problem or not at all)
● Healthy life expectancy
= life expectancy in good health
● Disability-adjusted life years (DALY)
= years lost by being sick or premature death
● Quality-adjusted life years (QALY)
= improvement in quality of living after an intervention
● Disability
= umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions
→ impairment = problem in body function or structure
→ activity limitation = difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action
→ participation restriction = problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations
→ disability is complex phenomenon reflecting interaction between features of a person’s body and
features of society in which he lives
● Quality of life (QoL)
= individual’s perception of their position in life in context of culture and value systems in which they
live and in relation to their goals
●
● Risk factors:
2
, → tobacco use still highest
→ high increase in high fasting plasma glucose and decrease in LDL and air pollution
● Is cancer preventable?
→ 40% of cancers could be prevented if current understanding of risk and protective factors was
translated into effective primary prevention
→ cancer screening and other approaches to early detect premalignant lesions can also contribute to
reduce cancer incidence and mortality
→ classified as non-preventable: strong genetic factors, unknown trigger, …
→
● Coronary heart disease is preventable:
→ low rates in Japan due to their way of life
→ decrease in rates in USA due to therapeutic advances
→ in UK they fail to prevent it
● Implications come with a cost but advantages can outweigh costs
→ implementing preventions has a cost
→ cost can be lower than healthcare system would have to carry without prevention
● Expenses on health:
→ positive relationship between spending on health and life expectancy
3
, ● Tobacco use:
→ modification:
increasing price of cigarettes (very effective)
● Alcohol:
→ campaigns to prevent hazardous use of alcohol
→ more in men, use increases up to 75 years and overuse peaks from 55 to 64 years
● Healthy eating:
→ differences across countries in amount of fruit and vegetables eaten per day
● Eating and drinking behavior:
→ a lot of discussion about sugar-sweetened drinks vs. artificially sweetened drinks and their risks
4
