Preventive Healthcare Awareness

Preventive health care also known as prophylaxis is the measure we take for preventing any disease. Preventive Healthcare includes the use of any medical service or precautions that fight against the potential health crisis. Perhaps preventive health care is the most important step one can take to manage his/her health. Our health is affected by so many factors such as genetic predisposition, environmental factors, lifestyle, food habits, disease agents, etc. Therefore it is equally important to check on our health periodically by visiting a doctor and going through screening tests, etc. The idea of taking prevention of health care is to be healthy and eliminate the disease before it becomes serious and life-threatening. Preventive health care and medicines not only save you from ill health but also save you money from future expenses if you get trapped in one chronic disease. Therefore, to live a happy and pleasant life, start taking your health seriously and invest in your time in health care precautions from now.

There are four stages of PHC. These are primordial prevention, primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention. 

Primordial Prevention: intervening before health effects occur in the absence of risk factors.

Primary Prevention: intervening before health effects occur in the presence of risk factors.

Secondary Prevention: screening to identify diseases in the earliest.

Tertiary Prevention: managing disease post-diagnosis to slow or stop.

ASF activities are involved in the first two levels of disease prevention i.e. Primordial & Primary levels of preventive healthcare.

Primordial Level of Interventions

Primordial prevention consists of actions and measures that inhibit the emergence of risk factors in the form of environmental, economic, social, and behavioral conditions and cultural patterns of living, etc. Primordial prevention consists of actions to modify population health determinants and inhibit the establishment of factors (environmental, economic, social, behavioural) known to increase the future risk of disease. It addresses determinants at the systemic level rather than modifying personal risk factors, which is the goal of primary prevention. Thus, outlawing alcohol in certain countries would represent primordial prevention, whereas a campaign against drinking and driving would be an example of primary prevention. Other examples of primordial prevention include improving sanitation (so that exposure to infectious agents does not occur), establishing healthy communities, promoting a healthy lifestyle in childhood (for example, through prenatal nutrition programs and supporting early childhood development programs), or developing green energy approaches. Primordial prevention is conceptually linked to population health and health promotion, but clinicians can play a role in bringing problems to public attention and in advocating for action on determinants.

Primary Level of Interventions

The primary level of Interventions aims to prevent the onset of specific diseases via risk reduction: by altering behaviors or exposures that can lead to disease, or by enhancing resistance to the effects of exposure to a disease agent. Examples include smoking cessation and vaccination. Primary prevention reduces the incidence of disease by addressing disease risk factors or by enhancing resistance. Some approaches involve active participation, as with regular tooth brushing and flossing to prevent dental caries. Other approaches are passive: adding fluoride to the municipal drinking water to harden tooth enamel and prevent caries. Primary prevention often targets specific agents and the risk factors for specific diseases, but may also aim to promote healthy behaviors, improve host resistance, and foster safe environments that reduce the risk of disease in general, for instance, thorough cleaning of operating rooms to prevent post-operative infection.

Why Preventive Healthcare is Important for a Healthy Lifestyle?

Sometimes the symptoms of the disease appear on the surface quite slowly and you can’t figure out the reason for being unhealthy. Therefore, even when you feel that everything is all right with your body, you might not know what hazardous is blooming within your body. Regular health checkups and follow-up meetings with your doctor can help you avoid many problems. Even a blood test in 6 months can give you enough information about your health. You can also get yourself checked on blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.

What impact does preventive care really have?

In 2010, a study published in Health Affairs found that if 90 percent of preventive care services were used in 2006, $3.7 billion dollars could have been saved. As you can see, preventive care has significant economic benefit and can greatly reduce an individual’s financial burden associated with emergency health services. The same study found that if preventive care had been widely delivered in previous years, two million more people would have been alive in the U.S. in 2006.1 Preventive care is a proven, cost-effective way to help people live longer, healthier lives. 

Eight (8) Preventive Care Examples

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published a list of 102 recommendations for preventive care practices with evidence based results. Many of these practices are relevant to specific age groups, or individuals with particular risk factors in their medical history. Using the USPSTF and information from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services we identified the following 8 services as some of the most impactful and universal preventive care measures.

1. Blood Pressure Tests – Blood pressure tests are one of the most important screening methods to identify risk factors for serious disease in adults. The USPTF recommends screening for abnormal blood pressure every 3 to 5 years for most adults, and annually for adults over the age of 40. Testing for high blood pressure can reduce incidents of strokes, heart failure and coronary heart disease events. Screenings for low blood pressure can lead to a reduction in cerebrovascular events, heart failure and overall mortality.

 

2. Diabetes Screening – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 100 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes.4 Diabetes contributes to heart disease, strokes, nerve and kidney disease, and vision loss. In 2015, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Many people living with diabetes (about 25 percent) do not know they have the condition. With a proper diagnosis or the detection of prediabetes, people can receive treatment as minimally invasive as lifestyle changes in diet and physical activity. Diabetes is over-represented in many communities of color such as American Indians, African Americans and Latinos. With better access to early diabetes screenings, health disparities and mortality rates for many communities could be significantly reduced.

 

3. Cholesterol Tests – Regular cholesterol tests every 4 to 6 years can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease can lead to heart attacks or strokes, but when indications of cardiovascular disease are detected early, it can be prevented with medication or increased physical activity. Adults with common risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, smoking or a family history of high cholesterol, are advised to get their cholesterol checked more often.

 

4. Routine Vaccinations – Childhood vaccinations protect against serious diseases such as polio or hepatitis, but adult vaccinations are equally important. An annual flu vaccine and “TDaP” shots (preventing tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) every ten years for most adults and once during every pregnancy can significantly impact health outcomes in adults.

 

5. Cancer screenings – Mammograms and colonoscopies are among the most common cancer screenings. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 in 8 women in the United States will get breast cancer during their lifetime. Mammograms take roughly 20 minutes and can detect breast cancer before it spreads to other parts of the body where it may be more difficult to treat. If detected and treated early, most women will survive breast cancer. Colonoscopies can detect early signs of colorectal cancer. Like breast cancer, successful treatment of colorectal cancer can often depend on early detection of the disease. Colonoscopies are not the only way to screen for colorectal cancer, depending on a person’s risk factors other tests such as a stool test or a CT colonography might be more appropriate.

 

6. STI screenings – Many people living with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) do not experience symptoms and live with an illness, even spreading it to others, without knowing. The CDC states that for sexually active people, STI screenings can be one of the most important ways to protect good health. Despite the fact that STIs are common and treatable, social stigma can influence a person’s decision to take an STI screening. However, undetected and untreated, STIs can lead to poor health outcomes including loss of fertility and serious illness. The CDC recommends that sexually active people take an STI test anywhere from every three months to once a year depending on risk factors.

 

7. Well-child visits – Children from birth to age 21 can reduce the risk of serious illness and disability with an annual well-baby and well-child visit. These visits allow physicians to administer necessary vaccinations, screen for potential medical issues, and provide insight on lifestyle changes that could reduce the later development of disease. 

 

8. Mental health screenings – Though it is difficult to accurately assess the number of people worldwide who suffer from a mental illness or disorder, the World Health Organization estimates this figure to be in the hundreds of millions. While it’s true many of those who are afflicted may be dealing with relatively milder symptoms, untreated mental illness can have devastating consequences for individuals and communities. Depression and anxiety are some of the leading mental health issues in the United States, but if detected, these conditions can be effectively treated with medication, counseling or a combination of both.

 

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