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Primary Prevention and Health Promotion: Towards Gender-sensitive Interventions

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The Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Healthcare

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Abstract

Health promotion and the primary prevention of illness are increasingly central to healthcare provision and are integral to New Public Health strategies as chronic and degenerative diseases rather than infectious diseases have become the most important cause of morbidity and mortality. For example, cardiovascular disease is the most significant cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that 80 per cent of premature deaths could be avoided by healthy nutrition, physical activity and abstinence from tobacco (WHO, 2008). Hence, increasing attention is being paid to health-related behaviour and to illness prevention, not only in a bid to reduce morbidity and mortality but also to reduce escalating healthcare costs.

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Authors
  1. Petra Kolip
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bath, UK

    Ellen Kuhlmann

  2. University of Leicester, UK

    Ellen Annandale

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© 2012 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

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Kolip, P. (2012). Primary Prevention and Health Promotion: Towards Gender-sensitive Interventions. In: Kuhlmann, E., Annandale, E. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Healthcare. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137295408_23

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