Old Paradigms and New Programs: The Need for an Interactive Device for Promoting Health and Preventing Disease

Abstract

To understand the complexities of creating an effective health promotion and disease prevention strategy, conventional wisdom in this field must be assessed critically and thoroughly. The rapidity of change—scientifically, clinically, and politically—in the health care sphere, requires a holistic understanding of the health of the public, the evolving patterns of disease, and the efficacy of the health care system. This paper provides a framework for assessing the current state of disease prevention and health promotion, integrating traditional paradigms into new programs for confronting changing socio-cultural as well as biomedical forces. Particular eras and paradigms in public health will be examined and discussed. The interdependency of human phenomena—biological, psychological, socio-cultural, and behavioral—is explained. Misconceptions of aspect of how individuals respond to the theory and practice of health behavior such as the health belief model will be discussed. Building on classic conceptual schemes in social medicine in conjunction with the health care ecology model will be explored in terms of a potential synthesis of concepts and applications. The aim of this proposal is to update and reinvigorate disease prevention and health promotion perspectives by demonstrating the significant role they play for improving the health of the public.