What is Health Promotion?

Health Promotion is difficult to define, but it covers all of these areas. If I could figure out how to make the graphics touch sensitive I'd do it, but for now you'll have to use the menu below them.

  • Physical: the most obvious one. Physical health is not the same as being "physically perfect".
  • Sexual: sexual health is about relationships, your sexuality, the right to say "No" as well as safer sex.
  • Social: this about how your immediate and wider environments affect your health.
  • Spiritual: spiritual health concerns your need (or not) for religion and spiritual fulfilment.
  • Emotional: is about your feelings. Being happy, sad, - or stressed.
  • Holistic (!): the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It's all about being a "whole person".
  • How does Health Promotion work?

    One model, (by RS Downie, Carol Fule and Andrew Tannahill), shows Health Promotion like this:

  • 1. Positive Health Promotion: to encourage the positive use of leisure time in the interests of stress reduction and well-being. "Be all you can be!".
  • 2. Preventive Health Promotion: to encourage a change in lifestyle to prevent ill health.
  • 3. Health Education aimed at positive health protection: aimed at policy makers to introduce health protection measures.
  • 4. Health Education for Preventive Health Protection: such as seat belt campaigns or Drink/drive campaigns.
  • 5. Preventive Services: such as prevention of childhood diseases through immunisation programmes.
  • 6. Preventive Health Protection: such as health and safety at work legislation.
  • 7. Positive Health Protection: such as Workplace Smoking Policies to provide clean air at work.