ABSTRACT
For some time, health promotion has been a central feature of general health policy within the developed world. For example, in the UK Saving Lives: our healthier nation (Department of Health 1999a), Choosing Health (Department of Health 2004a) and Better Information, Better Choices, Better Health (Department of Health 2004b) emphasise health promotion as a health service priority. The former states its intention to save 300,000 lives by 2010 and add years to life and years free from illness. The NHS Plan (Department of Health 2000) has prevention as its ninth core principle and refers to keeping people healthy and reducing inequalities in health.
