Categories of Prevention Flashcards

Study Notes

Primary Prevention

Aims to prevent the onset of disease and reduce incidence.
Involves interventions before evidence of diseases or injuries appears.
Examples include vaccinations and behavioral changes (e.g., smoking cessation, diet improvements).
Focuses on removing causative risk factors to protect health, overlapping with health promotion.
Can target individuals (personalized approaches) or populations (community-wide strategies).
Individual methods involve direct clinician contact, which can motivate behavior change.
Community strategies (e.g., mass media campaigns, taxation, public smoking bans) seek to change cultural contexts and support individual efforts.
Successful programs require identification and modification of at least one modifiable risk factor.

Secondary Prevention

Focuses on early detection of disease before symptomatic presentation.
Aims to intervene to slow or stop disease progression (“catch it early”).
Screening tests are central for identifying serious diseases early on (e.g., Pap tests for cervical cancer, PSA tests for prostate cancer).
Educates people on recognizing early signs of diseases and appropriate treatment options.
Effective when diseases have a long latent period that allows for detection before symptoms occur.
Utilized when primary prevention has failed, emphasizing the need for timely intervention.

Tertiary Prevention

Involves interventions to halt disease progression and minimize consequences.
Aims to reduce disability, handicap, and suffering from existing health conditions.
Focuses on promoting adjustment to irremediable health issues through rehabilitation efforts.
Expands prevention concepts into clinical medicine to tackle established diseases.

Description

This quiz focuses on the categories of prevention in health, emphasizing primary prevention strategies. It covers key concepts and definitions essential for understanding how to reduce disease incidence before it occurs. Test your knowledge on various preventative measures like vaccination and lifestyle changes.