Why Health Promotion/Prevention?
As the focus in healthcare has moved from treating bacterial infection to understanding the causes of chronic disease, there is greater awareness that these diseases can be prevented. However, healthcare reform is one of the first times that the American public first heard about the concept of prevention and promoting healthy habits. At about the same time in the early 1990’s, managed care had arrived with emphasis shifting to keeping people well.

Even today HMO’s are the segment of healthcare where some of the most sophisticated health promotion programs exist.

Now as we move toward the year 2000, the public has become highly aware of how diet and exercise can help their health. The aging of the baby boomers has resulted into strong consumer demand for prevention resources and expertise. The boomers are known for wanting to be informed healthcare consumers and for wanting to take responsibility for their health.