Intersect oral action for health promotion and disease prevention: round bable

Abstract

1. The world health report 2002 sets forth several physical, social, economic, behavioural and organizational factors that influence people’s health. These factors are usually known as the broad determinants of health. Inadequate income exposes people to unhealthy practices that contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality. Certain physical environments facilitate the transmission of diseases such as malaria, gastroenteritis and tuberculosis. Lifestyle-related behaviours such as unhealthy diet, inadequate physical activity, tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, substance abuse, and unsafe sex in the Region contribute to cardiovascular and lung diseases, mental disorders, cancer, diabetes, injuries and HIV/AIDS. 2. The broad determinants of health are complex and closely interrelated. In the Region, the most prevalent determinants are poverty, low literacy levels, unplanned urbanization, rapid economic changes, globalization and peer pressure. The nature of these factors necessitates comprehensive responses directed at the underlying causes. Unfortunately, health systems in the Region are designed primarily for the management of disease, rather than the promotion of health. 3. Health promotion provides opportunities for fostering health and preventing disease. It is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health.2 It is a means of increasing individual and collective participation in health action.3 Its implementation involves combining approaches like health education; communication for behaviour change; social mobilization; and information, education and communication.