Concept

Primary Prevention

HE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 / Levels of Disease Prev

"Prevention includes a wide range of activities—known as “interventions”—aimed at reducing risks or threats to health. You may have heard researchers and health experts talk about three categories of prevention: primary, secondary and tertiary. What do they mean by these terms? Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it ever occurs. This is done by preventing exposures to hazards that cause disease or injury, altering unhealthy or unsafe behaviours that can lead to disease or injury, and increasing resistance to disease or injury should exposure occur. Examples include: legislation and enforcement to ban or control the use of hazardous products (e.g. asbestos) or to mandate safe and healthy practices (e.g. use of seatbelts and bike helmets); education about healthy and safe habits (e.g. eating well, exercising regularly, not smoking); and immunization against infectious diseases."

Related Ideas

  • Primary PreventionHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Risk Factors and Levels of Disease
  • Tertiary PreventionHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Levels of Disease Prev
  • Later PreventionHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Risk Factors and Levels of Disease
  • Risk FactorsHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Risk Factors and Levels of Disease Prevention
  • Risk ReductionHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Risk Factors and Levels of Disease
  • Social FactorsHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Determinants of Health
  • Family HistoryHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Risk Factors and Levels of Disease Prevention
  • Natural BarriersHE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 · Immune Defenses Against Infectious Diseases
Primary Prevention | HE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 | Bifalgorithm | Bifalgorithm