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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 and Lancaster 2008). The definitions used in public health distinguish between primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention (Commission on Chronic Illness 1957).
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The term “primary prevention” refers to intervention measures to prevent the occurrence (incidence) of new disease, disability, or injury (Leavell and 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 Further Readings
Commission on Chronic Illness. (1957). Chronic illness in the United States (Vol. 1). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Institute of Medicine. (1994). Reducing risks for mental disorders. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Last, J. M. (2000). A dictionary of epidemiology (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Leavell, H. R., & Clark, E. G. (1965). Preventive medicine for the doctor in his community (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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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Baumann, L.C., Ylinen, A. (2020). Prevention: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary. In: Gellman, M.D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0_135
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0_135
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