wellbeing PROMOTION PROGRAM

Health Promotion Program

Health Promotion Program

The field of health promotion and disease prevention emerged out of the recognition that many illnesses and diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes are related to lifestyle or environmental factors, for example, dietary intake, physical activity, tobacco use, sunscreen use, and drug and alcohol use. With the discovery that approximately 70% of all premature deaths before the age of 65 could be accounted for by lifestyle and environmental factors, researchers, educators, and clinicians began to investigate behavioral factors in order to improve health and prevent illness. Thus, the field of health promotion and disease prevention emerged as a discipline focused on improving health and preventing illnesses through the investigation of lifestyle or behavioral factors. (Lollar, 1994)

The field of health promotion and disease prevention has grown steadily since the publication of the 1974 Lalonde Report, which was the first government report to highlight the notion that biology, environment, lifestyle, and health care all affect health status. International efforts that facilitated the development of the field of health promotion include the 1986 International Conference on Health Promotion in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; the 1992 International Conference on Health Promotion in Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia; and the 1993 First Caribbean Conference of Health Promotion in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The subsequent publication of several documents also described international and national initiatives to promote health and prevent disease (i.e., The Lalonde Report, The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion , Latin America's Health Promotion and Equity, Caribbean Charter for Health Promotion , and Healthy People 2010). There are numerous objectives to these initiatives, including increasing life span, reducing health disparities, and providing access to preventive services. (Smith, 2008)

Scholars have proposed numerous ways to define the field of health promotion and disease prevention. Definitions of health promotion tend to emphasize a combination of educational, political, regulatory, and organizational interventions aimed at improving personal and/or public health and well-being. Whereas the field of health promotion tends to focus on promoting health and increasing well-being, the field of disease prevention tends to focus on halting illnesses or diseases, and identifying methods to change risk factors in order to avoid illnesses or diseases. Numerous disease prevention interventions, for example, target smoking as a risk factor for lung cancer. (Lollar, 1994)

The field of health promotion and disease prevention grew out of the multidisciplinary field of health education, which tends to use educational principles to improve health and prevent illnesses. However, in addition to using educational principles, health promotion and disease prevention experts also use a number of additional strategies to promote health and prevent illnesses. These strategies include individual or group therapy or counseling, communication and media campaigns aimed at health education, health program development and organizational change, and health policy development and advocacy. (Lollar, 1994)

Researchers, educators, and clinicians from various disciplines are committed to improving health and preventing disease through lifestyle or behavioral modification. Health educators study methods and theories to change health ...