Prevention strategies

Primary prevention

Primary prevention strategies aim to prevent the effects of a disease before the disease occurs.

• HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer.
• Lifestyle counseling to reduce risk of diabetes (e.g., promoting exercise and a healthy diet).
• Water fluoridation to prevent dental caries.

Secondary prevention

Secondary prevention strategies aimed to identify a disease early in its course through screening. This is a type of prevention that occurs after the onset of the disease.

• Mammography to screen for early-stage breast cancer.
• Pap smears to detect precancerous cervical changes.
• Blood pressure screening to detect hypertension before complications arise.

Tertiary prevention

Tertiary prevention strategies aim to slow the progression and complications of a disease through therapeutic intervention.

• Cardiac rehabilitation after a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
• Physical therapy for stroke patients to regain function.
• Diabetes management to prevent neuropathy, retinopathy, or kidney disease.