Health promotion

Abstract

Introduction Health can be defined as optimum physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. Health promotion is the science or art of helping people change their lifestyle to move towards a state of optimal health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of efforts to increase awareness, change behaviour, and create environments that support good health practices. Further reading Toumbourou J, Patton GC, Sawyer S, Olsson C, Webb-Pullman J, Catalano R, et al .Evidence based health promotion. No 2. Adolescent health.Melbourne, Australia: Department of Human Services,2000. www.hda-online.org.uk/evidence/ (the Health Development Agency's “evidence base”—a searchable database of evidence on health promotion). http://www.teenagehealthfreak.org/ and http://www.lifebytes.gov.uk/ (teenage friendly websites that provide health promotion material for young people).