Health Promotion Versus Disease Prevention and Health Education

Health promotion means creating an enabling environment where people have a say in aspects controlling and improving their health. Disease prevention on the other hand deals with checking of the spread of chronic diseases leading to premature deaths. Some of these chronic infections include cancer and diabetes among other diseases. There are primary, secondary and tertiary levels of disease prevention. Health education entails some form of communication that is geared towards improving people’s knowledge on health matters. Through health education, people can develop life skills instrumental in improving an individual’s or community health. This essay will pay much attention to three factors that distinguish health promotion from disease prevention and health education (Kahan and Goodstadt, 2002). Barriers in community that limit health promotion will also be captured. Moreover, credence will also be given to how community health nurses can change their beliefs of population or aggregate with regard to health conditions and or risk factors so as to promote health.

Health promotion has got myriad features that make it stand out and be distinguishable from disease prevention and health education. These features focus on the health and well-being of both individuals and communities. These features give a holistic view of health, pay much attention to participatory approaches, and the determinants of health among other factors. Holistically, health is supposed to be a resource for everyday life where physical, mental, and social health are all in sync. Health promotion practitioners endeavor to find amicable solution to health problems by bringing the affected individuals on board rather than doing things for them, hence participatory approach. Participatory approaches have inherent health promotion values like people empowerment, respect, social justice and equity, and for purposes of ensuring that each and everyone can access resources pertinent for good health, inclusion. Finally, determinants of health like education level, physical and social environment, and income are very unique to health promotion (Kahan and Goodstadt, 2002).

A number of barriers in our communities can limit health promotion. There are financial, structural, and personal barriers that hinder health promotion. Financial impediments can be attributed to one being incapable of securing a health insurance cover or being incapable of paying the premiums outside the health plan. There are also cultural barriers that impact health promotion. Every community has cultural barriers unique to it. Health care services in developed world cannot be compared to those in developing countries and this explains why many people die of diseases that can otherwise be treated. In developed world, nutrition, alcohol intake, and smoking are heavily influenced by social inclusion. In certain communities, health promotion can be impeded by racial structures that bring issues related to level of income and culture into play. Certain communities tend to look at health care as a degrading and humiliating exercise. Some associate the medical jargons to racism hence fear for health clinics (Marmot, 2006). This has made health promotion among such group of people a near impossibility however dire the situation may be.

Community health nurses can play a very important role in changing people’s belief regarding health conditions and promote health. They can come up with communication techniques that can positively influence populations. They can also undertake to facilitate health education to improve people health literacy. They can also set up self help group aimed towards health improvement. Other strategies like organization change, advocacy, and policy development can also be initiated by them (Kahan and Goodstadt, 2002 p.2081).

Health promotion employs participatory approaches, views health holistically, and focus on determinants of health. These distinguish health promotion from disease prevention and health promotion.

Reference List

Kahan, B., and Goodstadt, M. (2002). Best Practices in Health Promotion Interactive Domain Manual. Toronto: Centre for Health Promotion.

Marmot, M. (2006). Health is an unequal world. Lancet, 368, 2081-94.