By: Dr. RAIES AHMAD
Prevention means any action taken to keep people healthy and well, and prevent or avoid risk of poor health, illness, injury and early death. Prevention aims to increase the likelihood that people will stay healthy and well for as long as possible.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the meaning of prevention as “approaches and activities aimed at reducing the likelihood that a disease or disorder will affect an individual, interrupting or slowing the progress of the disorder or reducing disability”.
LEVELS OF PREVENTION
- a) Primordial Prevention: It consists of risk factor reduction targeted towards an entire population through a focus on social and environmental conditions. Primordial prevention targets the underlying stage of natural disease by targeting the underlying social conditions that promote disease onset.
- b) Primary Prevention: Primary prevention consists of measures aimed at a susceptible population or individual. The purpose of primary prevention is to prevent a disease from ever occurring. Thus, its target population is healthy individuals. For example, immunizations are a form of primary prevention.
- c) Secondary Prevention: Secondary prevention emphasizes early disease detection, and its target is healthy-appearing individuals with subclinical forms of the disease. The subclinical disease consists of pathologic changes but no visible symptoms that are diagnosable in a doctor’s visit. Secondary prevention often occurs in the form of screenings. For example, a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear is a form of secondary prevention aimed to diagnose cervical cancer in its subclinical state before progression.
- d) Tertiary Prevention: Tertiary prevention targets both the clinical and outcome stages of a disease. It is implemented in symptomatic patients and aims to reduce the severity of the disease as well as any associated sequelae.
NEED FOR PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE NCDs
Preventing chronic diseases like Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) which includes hypertension, diabetes, cancers, mental disorders etc is a global public health priority due to the significant health, social and economic impacts of these diseases and their association with economic disadvantage. We need preventative measures in order to reduce death, ill health and disability, to make our health system more sustainable, to improve health equity, and to reduce the economic burden on society. The World Health Organization states that that the global burden and threat of non-communicable diseases constitutes one of the major challenges for development of any country.
ROLE OF HEALTH SCREENING IN THE PREVENTION OF DISEASES
Regular screenings that can detect anything in the blood and body that could potentially lead to a health crisis is one of the essential components of preventive medicine. There are invasive as well as non-invasive tests we can take early on, making it easier to both treat early symptoms and prevent further progress. Screening tests can include regular checking of blood pressure, blood sugar levels, screening of individuals for common cancers like oral, breast, cervical cancers in all 30 years and above population. Other routine check-ups and exams for preventive health include hormone balance, sleep hygiene, diet and weight management, and vitamin levels. Early testing gives an idea on making changes that can improve quality of life and increase healthy outcomes.
BENEFITS OF PREVENTION AND EARLY DETECTION OF DISEASE
Timely identification of health risks is a critical advantage of prevention. By being proactive, we can identify warning signs and take appropriate actions, potentially halting the progression and severity of diseases. Additionally, taking preventive measures boosts the likelihood of positive treatment results, enhancing prognosis and overall quality of life.
The noteworthy aspect of prevention is its ability to significantly decrease healthcare expenses both on individual level and government level. Sooner we llearn that something is wrong with health, sooner we can act to make it better. If an individual is screened early for diabetes and learn that he is pre-diabetic, he can take immediate action to change the lifestyle and can even reverse the diagnosis.
PREVENTION COSTS LESS THAN TREATMENT
As we may already know, having health problems costs a lot of money even we may not qualify for the best insurance plans due to a pre-existing condition or two. Seeking preventive health care can help reduce these costs, because we are taking steps to avoid potential long-term health issues. Anything which improves the physical health now will help in financial health in the future.
PROMOTING PREVENTION AWARENESS
Educating individuals about preventive healthcare forms the foundation for a healthier society. By spreading knowledge about preventive measures, we empower individuals to take control of their health. Encouraging community involvement further amplifies the impact of prevention. Community driven initiatives and support networks create an environment that promotes healthy practices and provides necessary resources. Government policies and programs play a crucial role in supporting prevention by creating conducive environments, allocating resources, and driving public health campaigns.
HOW CAN WE PREVENT CHRONIC DISEASES
Many chronic diseases are caused by key risk behaviours. By making healthy choices, we can reduce the likelihood of getting a chronic disease and improve the quality of life.
- Quit Smoking : Stopping smoking (or never starting) lowers the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and lung disease, as well as premature death even for long time smokers.
- Eat Healthy And Balanced Diet: Eating healthy helps prevent, delay, and manage heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases. A balanced, healthy dietary pattern includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products and limits added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium.
- Regular Physical Activity: Regular physical activity can help prevent, delay, or manage chronic diseases. Aim for moderate intensity physical activity (like brisk walking or gardening) for at least 150 minutes a week, with muscle-strengthening activities 2 days a week.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight: Carrying increased internal fat deposits that coat the heart, kidneys, liver, digestive organs and pancreas can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. A waist measurement is a simple check to tell if you’re carrying excess body fat around.
- Avoid Drinking Alcohol: Drinking can lead to high blood pressure, various cancers, heart disease, stroke, and liver disease.
- Get Screened: To prevent chronic diseases or catch them early by regular visit to doctor and getting screened for diabetes, hypertension, cancers, mental disorders and other diseases.
- Get Enough Sleep: Insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and poor management of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression. Adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep daily.
- Know Your Family History: If an individual have a family history of a chronic disease, like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis, he may be more likely to develop that disease. Share the family health history with the doctor, who can help you to take steps to prevent these conditions or catch them early.
- Make Healthy Choices in School and at Work : By making healthy behaviours part of daily life, we can prevent conditions such as high blood pressure or obesity, which raises the risk of developing the most common and serious chronic diseases.
- Other preventive measures include promoting high rates of immunisation against various types of diseases, implementing road safety laws and regulations, adding important nutrients to the food supply will also help in prevention of diseases.
The writer is Community Health Officer, JKNHM, BSc, BUMS, FRHS, MRHS, BLS and ERTC Certified (Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir), PGC (Community Health), RCBS (University of Kashmir) and Life Member of Indian Red Cross Society. cyberaies@gmail.com
