ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s a vast amount of evidence has accumulated demonstrating that the key determinant of the major diseases that afflict Western societies is lifestyle. This chapter explores how the potential of prevention can be translated from the hypothetical to practical reality. It also explores various forms of health promotion. The chapter examines whether this is a cost-effective approach to improving population heath. A number of strategies have been developed over the years in an effort to take the tremendous potential of prevention and use it to improve population health. Health promotion, therefore, can be a cost-effective way to improve lifestyles and thereby improve the health of large numbers of people. The chapter concludes that government policies, concerning food prices and, to a lesser extent, food advertising and labeling, may be an effective means to help bring about desirable changes in eating patterns.
