Slides + article Rose (1981)
AIM OF THE COURSE
Learn about prevention as a scientific discipline (background, theories, implementation, dissemination)
Understand (un)healthy behaviors
- Not necessarily the general knowledge.
Understand how to change behaviors
Learn how to implement such changes
Learn how to measure behavior and behavioral changes
Learn how to conceive and implement a sound prevention campaign
Learn how to judge a prevention campaign
WHAT IS PREVENTION SCIENCE
(Introduction to what prevention science is, hints of epidemiology, and nomenclature)
DEFINING PREVENTION SCIENCE
WHAT
It is an interdisciplinary specialty that requires integration from multiple disciplines including psychology,
counseling, social work, education, health sciences, economics, and public affairs
- Cf. When you want to implement a prevention campaign: talk to stakeholders, design polity… =>
multiple disciplines involved
Psychological prevention science tries to prevent psychological and physical illness and promote overall
health and wellbeing through evidence-based practice at individual and systemic levels
- Uses evidence-based practice (= scientific support tow hat is used)
Advancing (bevorderen) health at the individual and societal levels;
Inform policymakers (to make it possible for actions to be taken).
DEFINING THE PROBLEM AND AREA OF INTERVENTION – relevance of prevention science
- Global causes of deaths: Ischemic heart diseases, stroke, COPD, lower respiratory infections…
- Differences between: high- income countries & low- income countries (causes are different)
• High: << noncommunicable diseases (niet besmettelijk) cf. ischaemic heart diseases, stroke,
AD, bronchus, lung cancers…
• Low: << communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional conditions cf. lower respiratory
infections, diarrheal diseases, HIV/ AIDS, Malaria
Know your background of you, the study, context…!!
Be aware that when you want to implement a prevention campaign, you need to know where you
are implementing it (e.g. prevention campaign for diarrhoeal diseases in high income countries
will not target a real problem and the advantages will not outweigh the financial costs, while the
same intervention might be very successful and important in some low-income countries)
MORE CONCRETE AIMS OF PREVENTION
- Reduce preventable deaths
- Reduce the number of lost years
- Increase healthy life years
- Increase quality of life
- Reduce the economic impact of diseases