Childhood nutrition education in health promotion and disease prevention.

In the last 10 to 15 years, nutrition has become a major component of health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Two widely recommended strategies for incorporating nutrition education directed toward children and youth into health promotion and disease prevention efforts are school-based nutrition education and the integration of nutritional care into health care. School-based nutrition education programs targeted toward very specific eating behaviors are showing very promising results in regard to behavior and attitude change of children and adolescents. Substantial changes in health care providers'' attitudes and practices and in the funding and financing of health care will be needed if nutrition education delivered in the context of routine health care is to be a major force in health promotion and disease prevention for youth.     

Designing effective health promotion and disease prevention programs

Numerous researchers stress the importance of health promotion and disease prevention programs as a means of helping people to foster positive health and lifestyle habits. Typically, health promotion and disease prevention programs strive to educate the public about risks involved in health abuses and the impact of lifestyle upon health status. Research, however, also reveals that health promotion and disease programs are often poorly designed. In response to the problem, a course model for teaching future health professionals how to strategically plan health promotion and disease prevention programs is presented.     

New Jersey health promotion and disease prevention initiative.

Health promotion is a major component of the rhetoric about health care reform at a national level. However, it is likely that the benefit packages included in any congressional legislation will be limited and unsatisfactory, thus compelling the states to take the lead. New Jersey is the first state to enact a comprehensive health promotion and disease prevention law; this legislation has the potential to change medical practice in the state.     

Measuring community change in disease prevention and health promotion

This report describes the use of the Community Resource Inventory to measure change in community health activities. The inventory consists of a survey of all organizations within a geographical area that might be mobilized for risk factor reduction. The inventory was utilized prior to, and again 3 years after, implementation of a health promotion campaign in a rural county and in a matched reference county. It revealed an increase in health promotion activities in key community institutions in the experimental county during a period when these activities were declining in the reference county. The Community Resource Inventory is a promising method of measuring community change and can be useful in monitoring the progress of programs in which there is a long period of latency between program initiation and measurement of outcomes, such as reduction in cardiovascular mortality.     

Practice implications of health promotion and disease prevention in allied health

Allied health professionals are practicing health promotion and disease prevention in many settings. This article describes existing practice settings and identifies expanded roles for allied health professionals. Some background on the changing societal expectations regarding health and wellness and a rationale for the health professionals' commitment to health promotion are given.     

性传播疾病的预防与健康教育和健康促进

目的探讨通过健康教育和健康促进预防性传播疾病。方法本着防治结合原则,强化政府职能作用,疾控部门积极运作,发挥社区卫生服务优势,加强心理与道德的教育等几个方面做好健康教育和健康促进工作。结果健康教育和健康促进对性传播疾病非常重要。结论通过健康教育和健康促进性传播疾病是可以得到控制的。     

Strategies and approaches in oral disease prevention and health promotion

Oral health is an important element of general health and well-being. Although largely preventable, many people across the world still suffer unnecessarily from the pain and discomfort associated with oral diseases. In addition, the costs of dental treatment are high, both to the individual and to society. Effective evidence-based preventive approaches are needed to address this major public health problem. The aim of this paper is to outline public health strategies to promote oral health and reduce inequalities. An extensive collection of public health policy documents produced by WHO are reviewed to guide the development of oral health strategies. In addition a range of Cochrane and other systematic reviews assessing the evidence base for oral health interventions are summarized. Public health strategies should tackle the underlying social determinants of oral health through the adoption of a common risk approach. Isolated interventions which merely focus on changing oral health behaviours will not achieve sustainable improvements in oral health. Radical public health action on the conditions which determine unhealthy behaviours across the population is needed rather than relying solely on the high-risk approach. Based upon the Ottawa Charter, a range of complementary strategies can be implemented in partnership with relevant local, national and international agencies. At the core of this public health approach is the need to empower local communities to become actively involved in efforts to promote their oral health.     

Curricular implications of health promotion and disease prevention in allied health education

Several recent articles have addressed the role of allied health professionals in health promotion and disease prevention (HP/DP). The consensus is that allied health professionals are on the threshold of making major contributions to the HP/DP initiative. The focus of these contributions usually centers on the role of allied health professionals in clinical settings and the traditional medical-model emphasis on direct patient contact. In addition, there is discussion of the programmatic changes that will be required to meet the challenge of integrating health promotion concepts, knowledge, and skills into current professional curricula. The purpose of this paper is to examine critically the rationale behind providing HP/DP education for allied health professionals and to discuss the implications of such education for professional preparation programs.     

Health policy implications of health promotion and disease prevention for allied health

Regardless of the direction health policies in this country may take, allied health professionals seem uniquely positioned to meet the health promotion needs of a variety of clients, such as patients, families, other providers, employees, and members of communities. If allied health professionals choose to respond to health promotion as an area of clinical expertise, they will have to accept the challenge presented by the numerous complex issues associated with implementing a new discipline. However, the successful application of energy and resources to resolving these problems would allow allied health professionals to provide significant interventions in meeting national health goals. This article reviews the history of health promotion in the United States, discusses current practices in health promotion, and suggests some future trends.     

Current trends in Canadian health care: disease prevention and health promotion

The Canadian national health insurance plan has not extended to disease prevention in any comprehensive way, and to this extent is incomplete. The Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination has done outstanding work, but no provincial insurance plan has systematically adjusted the benefit schedule to reflect its recommendations. Thus, the place of disease prevention under the Canadian system of universal health insurance is remarkably similar to that in the United States. Health promotion has a somewhat different meaning in Canada from that in the United States, emphasizing intervention at the population level more than health education of individuals. The health promotion movement now enjoys considerable support in Canada, especially in the public health sector, in voluntary agencies, and in the policies of the federal and several provincial departments of health. The movement is almost completely separate from mainstream health services, and is unrelated to the insurance program. To date, there has been mostly talk, but several structures are in place which should lead to action.     

Position of the American Dietetic Association: the role of nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention programs

A healthful diet and wise food choices are critical components of promoting health and reducing the risk of chronic disease. A substantial amount of health care resources could be saved by expanding health promotion and disease prevention programs that target dietary change among Americans. To effectively reduce health care costs, the emphasis and delivery of health care must promote health as well as deliver treatment and rehabilitative services to the sick. Prevention measures, such as nutrition interventions that also encourage physical activity, can help prevent or halt progression of full-blown chronic disease and thus decrease chronic disease disability. Health promotion and disease prevention need to be integral parts of all health care, community, public health, and worksite programs across the life cycle. Correspondingly, such programs must be culturally competent and address the specific needs of vulnerable or underserved populations. Dietetics professionals in all areas of practice should play an integral role in health promotion and disease prevention programs. Achieving this goal will require expansion of training programs and active learning by dietetics professionals that includes theory and practice in using team approaches, developing coalitions, and managing complex systems. Dietetics professionals also need to amplify their understanding of politics, administration, health care financing, and reimbursement. Attention must also be expanded to include social and behavioral sciences and to address program evaluation, outcomes, and cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness in nutrition-focused health promotion and disease prevention programs. Continued training in program development, research, and evaluation will help build the body of evidence that supports ongoing inclusion of prevention in a rapidly changing health care environment.