Role of Community Intervention in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Abstract

There has been increasing recognition that social-environmental factors play a critically important role in determining health status and in causing health disparities, which in turn has emphasized the role of community-wide interventions. Community-wide interventions, which focus on cultivating a physical and social environment that is conducive to the acquisition and maintenance of healthful lifestyle practices, are needed to increase opportunities for learning and practicing healthful habits. Examples of social-environmental changes are increasing access to recreational facilities or to affordable fruits and vegetables that in too many cases are inaccessible to populations with the greatest needs for these resources. Policies, for example prohibiting smoking in public spaces and providing “nutritious foods” for children living in poverty, are desperately needed to increase opportunities for healthful choices and to facilitate individual and social change.