Five ways of preventing health crisis and increase in population
Answers
Answer:
Health promotion and disease prevention are a major emerging theme in geriatric medicine and health care generally. Although efforts have typically been targeted at younger persons, there is growing evidence that this approach is both appropriate and feasible for those age 65 and over (Office of Technology Assessment, 1985b). The health promotion and disease prevention approach is one of a number of possible strategies to deal with what has increasingly become a hallmark of current times: the prevalence of chronic illness and multiple chronic illnesses or functional impairments among the elderly. While it will not replace medical care either for the treatment of acute diseases or for acute flare-ups of chronic illness, this approach has promise for reducing the incidence and prevalence of chronic and acute disease among both the general population and the elderly. (See Office of Technology Assessment, Chapters 4 and 5, 1985b; and Kane et al., 1985, for a review of the state of the art in health promotion and disease promotion in the elderly.) In addition, of course, both long-term medical treatment and care for many diseases and illnesses, as well as research to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic and acute disease, are a continuing need.
Selected policy questions relating to health promotion and disease prevention include:
Should more resources be allocated to increasing our scientific and clinical knowledge base on the efficacy of many health promotion and prevention activities for the elderly population?
To what extent should public and private programs be developed to motivate older persons who are still asymptomatic to health-maintaining behavior?
What success rate in modifying health behavior can we anticipate for older patients with various forms of chronic illness or disability?
What institutions and what professions should be responsible for health promotion? Should health professionals be trained, and should their training be publicly supported?
How can we move toward a more balanced relationship between the minuscule national investment in health education and other aspects of preventive medicine and the overwhelming resources devoted to medical care directed to reducing the duration and severity of disease and disability?
Should public and private health insurance programs pay for health promotion and disease prevention interventions?
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Definitions, Federal Initiatives, and Goals
What is health promotion and disease prevention? Simply stated, health promotion involves "the development of behaviors that improve bodily functioning and enhance an individual's ability to adapt to a changing environment" (Ward, 1984:6). Disease prevention involves actions to reduce or eliminate exposure to risks that might increase the chances that an individual or group will incur disease, disability, or premature death. Some risk factors for disease and disability are mutable or amenable to change (such as personal habits), while others (such as genetic endowment and family history) are not (Kane et al., 1985). A major goal of the health promotion and disease prevention approach—both for individuals and for an entire population—is "to identify the health problems for which preventive efforts can result in more appropriate utilization of health services and improvements in health status" (Lee, 1985:784).
This approach to health emphasizes the importance of lifestyle and personal behavior in improving personal health status and in maintaining health and functioning, both physical and mental. It also recognizes that the extent to which health care interventions and behavior change or channeling can be effective in promoting health and preventing disease depends in part on current health status and the stage in the life cycle in which particular interventions are introduced. Both concepts underscore the need for individuals and family units to accept personal responsibility for their own health and to take the initiative in managing their health care.
Three types of prevention activities can affect health and well-being of the elderly. Primary prevention refers to efforts to eliminate health or functional problems at their source—that is, preventing their occurrence—or to procedures (such as immunizations, improving nutritional status, and increasing physical fitness and emotional well-being) that reduce the incidence of disease or render a population at risk not vulnerable to that risk. Secondary prevention involves efforts to detect adverse health conditions early in their course and to intervene promptly and effectively, or to curtail the spread of disease to others. Tertiary prevention aims to reduce the du
Explanation:
Answer:
Health promotion and disease prevention are a major emerging theme in geriatric medicine and health care generally. Although efforts have typically been targeted at younger persons, there is growing evidence that this approach is both appropriate and feasible for those age 65 and over (Office of Technology Assessment, 1985b). The health promotion and disease prevention approach is one of a number of possible strategies to deal with what has increasingly become a hallmark of current times: the prevalence of chronic illness and multiple chronic illnesses or functional impairments among the elderly. While it will not replace medical care either for the treatment of acute diseases or for acute flare-ups of chronic illness, this approach has promise for reducing the incidence and prevalence of chronic and acute disease among both the general population and the elderly. (See Office of Technology Assessment, Chapters 4 and 5, 1985b; and Kane et al., 1985, for a review of the state of the art in health promotion and disease promotion in the elderly.) In addition, of course, both long-term medical treatment and care for many diseases and illnesses, as well as research to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic and acute disease, are a continuing need.
Selected policy questions relating to health promotion and disease prevention include:
Should more resources be allocated to increasing our scientific and clinical knowledge base on the efficacy of many health promotion and prevention activities for the elderly population?
To what extent should public and private programs be developed to motivate older persons who are still asymptomatic to health-maintaining behavior?
What success rate in modifying health behavior can we anticipate for older patients with various forms of chronic illness or disability?
What institutions and what professions should be responsible for health promotion? Should health professionals be trained, and should their training be publicly supported?
How can we move toward a more balanced relationship between the minuscule national investment in health education and other aspects of preventive medicine and the overwhelming resources devoted to medical care directed to reducing the duration and severity of disease and disability?
Should public and private health insurance programs pay for health promotion and disease prevention interventions?
Go to:
Definitions, Federal Initiatives, and Goals
What is health promotion and disease prevention? Simply stated, health promotion involves "the development of behaviors that improve bodily functioning and enhance an individual's ability to adapt to a changing environment" (Ward, 1984:6). Disease prevention involves actions to reduce or eliminate exposure to risks that might increase the chances that an individual or group will incur disease, disability, or premature death. Some risk factors for disease and disability are mutable or amenable to change (such as personal habits), while others (such as genetic endowment and family history) are not (Kane et al., 1985). A major goal of the health promotion and disease prevention approach—both for individuals and for an entire population—is "to identify the health problems for which preventive efforts can result in more appropriate utilization of health services and improvements in health status" (Lee, 1985:784).
This approach to health emphasizes the importance of lifestyle and personal behavior in improving personal health status and in maintaining health and functioning, both physical and mental. It also recognizes that the extent to which health care interventions and behavior change or channeling can be effective in promoting health and preventing disease depends in part on current health status and the stage in the life cycle in which particular interventions are introduced. Both concepts underscore the need for individuals and family units to accept personal responsibility for their own health and to take the initiative in managing their health care.
Three types of prevention activities can affect health and well-being of the elderly. Primary prevention refers to efforts to eliminate health or functional problems at their source—that is, preventing their occurrence—or to procedures (such as immunizations, improving nutritional status, and increasing physical fitness and emotional well-being) that reduce the incidence of disease or render a population at risk not vulnerable to that risk. Secondary prevention involves efforts to detect adverse health conditions early in their course and to intervene promptly and effectively, or to curtail the spread of disease to others. Tertiary prevention aims to reduce the du