Course: Health & Society

Course ID:HEA101

Topic 6
Levels of Disease Prevention

Dr. Nafisa Huq

SPH,IUB
nafisahuqneela@gmail.om
 Levels of Disease Prevention
There are three main ways/methods of
controlling disease occurrence:
▪ Primary Prevention
▪ Secondary Prevention
▪ Tertiary Prevention

2
 Primary Prevention
Measure/Action taken to prevent a disease or
injury from occurring.
Goal: to protect healthy people from
developing a disease or experiencing an injury.

3
 Primary prevention continued
Examples of primary prevention:
• Vaccination
• Maintaining personal hygiene
• Staying away from infected individuals
• Controlling hazards at home & workplace
• Exercising on a regular basis
• Eating right amount and quality food
• Regular screening tests
 Secondary Prevention
Measure/Action taken ASAP to cure or reduce
the effect/s of an injury, disease or risk factors.
Goal: to cure or slow the progress of disease or
to reduce the risk of recurrence or the impact of a
disease.

5
 Secondary prevention continued

Examples of secondary prevention :

• Smoking cessation in lung disease.
• Regular walking in diabetes
• Tetanus injection for RTA

6
 Tertiary Prevention
Measure/Action aimed at rehabilitation
following significant damage from a disease or
injury.
Goals: to preventing further physical
deterioration and maximizing quality of life.

7
 Tertiary prevention continued
Examples of tertiary prevention:
• cardiac or stroke rehabilitation programs
• chronic pain management programs
• patient support groups
• medications/physiotherapy
• chemotherapy
• surgery
• dialysis

8
 Preventive actions can be taken by various
stakeholders.
It can be taken at the national, local or personal
level.
 National Level Prevention
At this level, interventions include legislation
such as:
• Compulsory seatbelts or motorcycle crash
helmets.
• Eradication of mosquitoes.
• Provision of clean drinking water and sewage
disposal.
 Local Level prevention
Examples:
• Local people get together to build a temporary
dam.
• Village chairman sets up a tin shade school.
 Personal Level prevention
Examples:
• Individuals make personal decisions about
their lifestyle.
• Personal decisions are influenced by
knowledge, awareness, scope, and economy.
 Barriers to Prevention
National and Local Level Barriers
• Taxation and cost issues:
Raising the taxation on tobacco and alcohol reduces
consumption.
Most interventions have costs.
Screening programs generate further costs.
• Political barriers:
the lobbying power of certain industries, such as food
manufacturers.
 Barriers to Prevention cont.
Personal barriers
Examples:
• Cost and quality
• Seasonal barriers
• Information-mobile phones, but literacy acts as
a barriers specially for females.
• Cultural barriers.