RHP&EO is the electronic journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education

The Basic Issue Concerning Health Promotion: What Goal Ought It To Achieve?

Per-Erik Liss

Department of Health and Society, Linkoping University, Sweden

An immense number of activities may be carried out within the field of health promotion. Diseases may be prevented by genetic manipulation, vaccination and screening. A person's lifestyle or behaviour may-be changed or influenced by, for instance, a change in habits of exercise, food, smoking and drinking. Health may also be promoted by making both the physical and psycho-social environment more conducive to health - for instance, by reducing air pollution, improving workplaces and preventing unemployment.

This is only a fraction of those activities that may be carried out in the field of health promotion. We may wonder, given this variegated crowd of activities, what the ultimate goal is. But we may also ask the more interesting question, what should the goal be? What is it exactly we should try to achieve when we are carrying out those activities we call health promotion? Is it disease control, or is it health, or is it well-being, or is it something else? The purpose of the proposed paper is to discuss this often neglected issue. This means an examination of different ways of arriving at a goal. The paper concludes by suggesting a goal of health promotion based on ethics.

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