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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine pp 1532–1534Cite as

Prevention: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary

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Synonyms

Levels of prevention

Definition

The natural history of disease is the course from onset to resolution (Last, 2000). The goal of epidemiology is to identify and understand causal factors of disease, disability, and injury so that effective interventions can be implemented to prevent the occurrence of adverse processes before they begin or progress (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). The definitions used in public health distinguish between primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention (Commission on Chronic Illness, 1957).

Description

The term “primary prevention” refers to intervention measures to prevent the occurrence (incidence) of new disease, disability, or injury (Leavell & Clark, 1965). This intervention must be implemented prepathogenesis and directed at individuals or groups at risk. Primary prevention efforts include health promotion and specific protection and are generally aimed at populations, not individuals (see Fig. 1). The application of primary...

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References and Readings

  • Commission on Chronic Illness. (1957). Chronic illness in the United States (Vol. 1). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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  • Institute of Medicine. (1994). Reducing risks for mental disorders. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

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  • Last, J. M. (2000). A dictionary of epidemiology (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Leavell, H. R., & Clark, E. G. (1965). Preventive medicine for the doctor in his community (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

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  • Stanhope, M. & Lancaster, J. (2008). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 Highland Avenue, 53792-2455, Madison, WI, USA

    Prof. Linda C. Baumann & Alyssa Karel

Authors
  1. Prof. Linda C. Baumann
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  2. Alyssa Karel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda C. Baumann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

  2. Cardiovascular Safety, Quintiles, Durham, NC, USA

    J. Rick Turner

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York

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Baumann, L.C., Karel, A. (2013). Prevention: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_135

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_135

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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