You are an instructor in an undergraduate nursing program. One of your students is confused about the differences between disease prevention and health promotion. How would you describe either to him or her? Defend your rationale with references (APA format).
Note References must be less than 5 years old and advanced nursing journals or articles.
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Introduction: As a medical professor, it is important to educate our students not only on the importance of disease prevention and health promotion but also on the differences between them.
Answer:
Disease prevention and health promotion are two important concepts in healthcare that are often confused. Disease prevention refers to the proactive measures taken by individuals and healthcare professionals to prevent the occurrence of a disease. Examples of disease prevention include vaccinations, screenings, and interventions that can mitigate the risk factors for a particular disease (Crouse, 2019).
On the other hand, health promotion refers to the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. It aims to prevent the occurrence of disease by focusing on the factors that lead to good health, such as a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, stress management, and a balanced diet (Maben, 2019).
The main difference between disease prevention and health promotion is that disease prevention mainly focuses on preventing the occurrence of a specific disease, while health promotion aims at promoting overall health and wellness. Therefore, while an individual can take steps to prevent a specific disease, health promotion is a long-term process that focuses on improving the overall health and wellbeing of an individual (Crouse, 2019).
In conclusion, as healthcare professionals, it is essential to differentiate between disease prevention and health promotion to ensure that individuals receive the appropriate care they need. Disease prevention and health promotion are complementary to each other, and by adopting healthy lifestyle habits, individuals can prevent the occurrence of diseases and improve their overall quality of life.
References:
Crouse, B. (2019). Disease Prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
Maben, J. (2019). Nursing & Health Promotion. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 9(2), 68-75.