Résumé :
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[BDSP. Notice produite par INIST KxR0x0j9. Diffusion soumise à autorisation]. Prevention - not treatment - is the principal way of health, and prevention can indeed prevent, or at leat postpone, the major diseases and accidents. However, we are far from exploiting its full potential. My point of departure is a concept of health which includes both prevention of diseases, accidents and risk factors, and promotion of health and coping with diseases. The strategy has two fronts - the individuals must constantly improve their life style and social relations, and the society must make it easier for people to do this by reducing the social gradient and improving the life situation of the unfortunate in the society. I discuss four areas of public health : - The battle against infectious diseases, which is impressive and successful. - The battle against the civilisation disorders - the cardiovascular diseases, cancer and accidents - which is partly successful. The major problem is life style, and health education has been only partly successful. - The battle against the psychosocial disorders - especially mental and musculosceletal disaeses - which is not successful. - The battle for the elderly, which is partly successful. The most important problem in public health now is the increasing differences between people, leading to "the 2/3 society", - with a majority which is doing well and a minority which is getting worse. Public health should document this development through research and concentrate its work on the less fortunate minority. (...)
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