((FOUNDATIONS of MEDICINE))
Health Promotion:
It is the process of enabling people to increase and improve
health, usually by:
¨ Health education.
¨ Environmental modification.
¨ Nutritional intervention.
¨ Lifestyle changes.
¨ Behavioral changes.
This involves the whole
community, while in specific promotion, which is a process to totally avoid
disease or illness:
¨ Immunization.
¨ Nutritional supplement.
¨ Chemoprophylaxis.
¨ Protective devices in industry.
¨ Protective devices in traffic accidents.
¨ Protective devices against allergen.
Levels of Prevention:
1- Primary Prevention: The purpose of primary prevention is to limit the incidence of
disease by controlling causes and risk factors.
Example
of primary prevention aimed at protection the health of the whole population is
the reduction of urban air pollution through reduction of sulfur oxides and
emissions from cars, industry, and domestic heating.
Primary prevention involves two strategies that are often
complementary.
A- It can focus on the whole population with the aim to average risk
(population strategy),
(health promotion).
B- High risk strategy focus on
individuals who are exposed to particular hazardous exposure, e.g. smoking
cessation , immunization, health education, chemoprophylaxis, … etc
2- Secondary Prevention: An action to halt the progress of disease
(early diagnosis and prompt treatment).
It is the process of early detection of transformation from
physiological to pathological status.
Examples:
· Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of hypertension.
· Carcinoma of breast.
· Carcinoma of cervix.
· Tuberculosis.
· Mass treatment in trachoma and malaria.
This
level of prevention is directed at the period between onset of disease and the
normal time of diagnosis and aims to reduce the prevalence of disease.
3- Tertiary Prevention: Intervention in the late pathogenic phase
to reduce disability and to promote adjustment to disease conditions.
Tertiary prevention is aimed at reducing the progress or
complications of established disease. It consists of measures intended to
reduce impairments and disabilities and minimize suffering caused by the
departure from good health.
The rehabilitation of patients with poliomyelitis, strokes,
injuries, blindness and so on is of great importance in enabling them to take
part in daily social life.
Tertiary prevention can mean a great improvement in individual
well-being and family income, in both developing and developed countries.
Natural History of Disease:
It is a trademark of disease occurring in nature foreseeing all
events from the beginning of illness to death.
Recovery and disability are usual course in the history of disease.
Each disease has its unique natural history.