ABSTRACT
There is an explosive increase of knowledge within the scientific field. Thousands of new ‘discoveries’ are being made daily and subsequently published in one of approximately 400,000 scientific journals. A considerable number of these concern health issues. The possibilities offered by the new information technology have led to a vast amount of research into the risks of illness and chances of health. Over time, this has, for example, resulted in the enumeration of hundreds of risk factors connected to cardiovascular disease. This quest for risk factors takes place at a time when there is a great increase in insight into the social origins of illness. Working with a population-orientated approach, one quickly arrives at the lifestyle of the population, for it is well known that an unhealthy lifestyle is the cause of many of the ‘premature deaths’ and ‘avoidable illnesses’ which occur in society today. Meta-analytical research has provided a good insight into the magnitude of the damage to health caused by such lifestyle variables as smoking, excessive use of alcohol, overeating and physical inactivity. That optimal use is not made of the preventative possibilities already in existence is, of course, common knowledge.
