HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION
the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health.
To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing a person or group must be able to
identify and realize aspirations to satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment – The
Ottawa Charter, WHO 1986.
Health promotion seeks to improve self-control of health (ability to control factors that affect health
and lead to healthier lives) by people and communities through skills development
For example: if a community has a high prevalence of TB and they are educated on how
to prevent the spread of TB (cough etiquette, opening windows for ventilation, hand
hygiene); they would be able to stop the spread of TB in the community without outside
intervention.
Targets different levels of society at once, because health and illness are affected by the way people
and their communities interact. Efforts to change the behavior of the individual must be supported by
efforts to adapt the environment such as: family, community, health services and public policy.
TOOLS TO IMPROVE SELF-CONTROL OF HEALTH
1. Education and access to basic facilities such as clinics, health information centers
Health education is about providing citizens with information on how to take care of their
health. It is a tool used in health promotion.
2. Changing the environment to empower people with necessary skills
Example: starting a soccer team to encourage kids to be more active
3. Removing the barriers that prevent communities from living healthier lives
Example: banning smoking in public spaces
4. Creating environments that supports a healthier lifestyle
Example: building parks to encourage an active lifestyle
5. Changing factors such as government policies; working conditions; community facilities and
social attitudes
DISEASE PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Disease prevention aims at dealing with diseases at different levels: before onset of disease and after
onset of disease
1. UPSTREAM PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Interventions done before onset of disease
Focuses on improving fundamental social and economic structures in order to decrease
barriers
Example: providing cheaper stores in poorer communities so that they can
afford to buy health food; changing people’s thinking that being obese is
being “fruitful or wealthy”
Improve support that allows people to achieve their full health potential
Focus on the risk factors of disease- aim to avoid, remove or limit the effects of risk factors
before they do harm
Example: educate community members on the dangers of consuming excess
sugar to prevent diabetes
Notes by @silibazisomupereki
, HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION
TWO KINDS OF UPSTREAM INTERVENTIONS
PRIMORDIAL PREVENTION
Aims to remove known risk factors from environment
Aims to prevent the factors from entering the environment
Example: Improving access (to an urban neighborhood) to safe sidewalks to
improve physical activity: to decrease the risk factors for obesity,
cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
PRIMARY PREVENTION
Deal with risk factors that already present in the community
Focuses on preventing a healthy person from progressing to the pre-clinical or
clinical stages of disease by:
1. Reducing the amount of exposure to risk factors
2. Modifying a person's chances of becoming ill
Example: educating people about food hygiene and drinking safe water can
help prevent diarrhea or food poisoning
2. DOWNSTREAM PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Interventions that are applied after the onset of disease
Focus on providing equitable access to care and services to alleviate the negative impacts
or disadvantage on health
Example: ensuring all communities have access to a functional clinic
TWO KINDS OF DOWNSTREAM INTERVENTIONS
SECONDARY PREVENTION
Aim to detect and cure people in the early pre-clinical stage of a disease before the
disease progresses and becomes disabling
Example: reducing raised cholesterol or raised blood pressure levels to
in the management of cardiac failure or hypertension
TERTIARY PREVENTION
Aims to manage an established disease and prevent it from progressing further
All curative treatments may be seen as tertiary prevention (hospital management)
All efforts are to restore a person's normal functioning (rehabilitation)
Example: reducing a person's BP and cholesterol levels after a heart
attack to prevent further attacks.
TOOLS FOR HEALTH PROMOTION
1. ADVOCACY- process of putting pressure on authorities to change policies and laws and
speaking out about the needs of the people
2. ENABLING- process that encourages people to reflect on their own experiences and facilitates
a process of learning & skills-building, which can be applied to their everyday lives
3. MEDIATION- a way of coming to an agreement, of seeking reconciliation, of setting aside
individual interests and negotiating a common goal
Notes by @silibazisomupereki
the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health.
To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing a person or group must be able to
identify and realize aspirations to satisfy needs and to change or cope with the environment – The
Ottawa Charter, WHO 1986.
Health promotion seeks to improve self-control of health (ability to control factors that affect health
and lead to healthier lives) by people and communities through skills development
For example: if a community has a high prevalence of TB and they are educated on how
to prevent the spread of TB (cough etiquette, opening windows for ventilation, hand
hygiene); they would be able to stop the spread of TB in the community without outside
intervention.
Targets different levels of society at once, because health and illness are affected by the way people
and their communities interact. Efforts to change the behavior of the individual must be supported by
efforts to adapt the environment such as: family, community, health services and public policy.
TOOLS TO IMPROVE SELF-CONTROL OF HEALTH
1. Education and access to basic facilities such as clinics, health information centers
Health education is about providing citizens with information on how to take care of their
health. It is a tool used in health promotion.
2. Changing the environment to empower people with necessary skills
Example: starting a soccer team to encourage kids to be more active
3. Removing the barriers that prevent communities from living healthier lives
Example: banning smoking in public spaces
4. Creating environments that supports a healthier lifestyle
Example: building parks to encourage an active lifestyle
5. Changing factors such as government policies; working conditions; community facilities and
social attitudes
DISEASE PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Disease prevention aims at dealing with diseases at different levels: before onset of disease and after
onset of disease
1. UPSTREAM PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Interventions done before onset of disease
Focuses on improving fundamental social and economic structures in order to decrease
barriers
Example: providing cheaper stores in poorer communities so that they can
afford to buy health food; changing people’s thinking that being obese is
being “fruitful or wealthy”
Improve support that allows people to achieve their full health potential
Focus on the risk factors of disease- aim to avoid, remove or limit the effects of risk factors
before they do harm
Example: educate community members on the dangers of consuming excess
sugar to prevent diabetes
Notes by @silibazisomupereki
, HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION
TWO KINDS OF UPSTREAM INTERVENTIONS
PRIMORDIAL PREVENTION
Aims to remove known risk factors from environment
Aims to prevent the factors from entering the environment
Example: Improving access (to an urban neighborhood) to safe sidewalks to
improve physical activity: to decrease the risk factors for obesity,
cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
PRIMARY PREVENTION
Deal with risk factors that already present in the community
Focuses on preventing a healthy person from progressing to the pre-clinical or
clinical stages of disease by:
1. Reducing the amount of exposure to risk factors
2. Modifying a person's chances of becoming ill
Example: educating people about food hygiene and drinking safe water can
help prevent diarrhea or food poisoning
2. DOWNSTREAM PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Interventions that are applied after the onset of disease
Focus on providing equitable access to care and services to alleviate the negative impacts
or disadvantage on health
Example: ensuring all communities have access to a functional clinic
TWO KINDS OF DOWNSTREAM INTERVENTIONS
SECONDARY PREVENTION
Aim to detect and cure people in the early pre-clinical stage of a disease before the
disease progresses and becomes disabling
Example: reducing raised cholesterol or raised blood pressure levels to
in the management of cardiac failure or hypertension
TERTIARY PREVENTION
Aims to manage an established disease and prevent it from progressing further
All curative treatments may be seen as tertiary prevention (hospital management)
All efforts are to restore a person's normal functioning (rehabilitation)
Example: reducing a person's BP and cholesterol levels after a heart
attack to prevent further attacks.
TOOLS FOR HEALTH PROMOTION
1. ADVOCACY- process of putting pressure on authorities to change policies and laws and
speaking out about the needs of the people
2. ENABLING- process that encourages people to reflect on their own experiences and facilitates
a process of learning & skills-building, which can be applied to their everyday lives
3. MEDIATION- a way of coming to an agreement, of seeking reconciliation, of setting aside
individual interests and negotiating a common goal
Notes by @silibazisomupereki
