Citation

Garrard J. Aust. Health Rev. 1992; 15(2): 213-224.

Affiliation

National Centre for Health Program Evaluation.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, Australian Healthcare Association, Publisher Australasian Medical Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10119051

Abstract

Health promotion is a term that includes a range of approaches aimed at maintaining and promoting the population's health. In its broadest sense health promotion includes: health protection legislation and enforcement; healthy public policy; mass media communications; community development in health; health education; and preventive health services. The use of these approaches has been associated with improved health in Australia, but evaluating the effectiveness of health promotion is not easy. Multi-faceted approaches are most effective, but are difficult to evaluate using experimental or quasi-experimental designs. In addition, health promotion has yet to meet the challenge of measuring progress towards improving health and well-being, as distinct from reductions in disease and in behavioural risk factors for disease. This paper discusses health promotion, its strategies and impacts, and some issues involved in its evaluation.

Language: en