Prevention vs Cure

Prevention relates to any activity that seeks to address a health issue before it develops into major concern for the Australian population. Prevention activities include health promotion activities such as advertising campaigns and education in schools. These activities aim to reduce risk behaviours and promote protective behaviours. 

Cure relates to any activities that seek to treat a person with a disease through medication, surgery or rehabilitation. Often curative approaches do not address the underlying causes, for example, risk behaviours like smoking. Hospital services, doctors and pharmaceuticals are areas where a large portion of health spending is directed to treat those with disease.

The majority of expenditure (money spent) in Australia on health is directed towards curative services such as hospitals, medications and surgical procedures.

The Australian government could save a lot of money in the long term if it invested more in preventative approaches like health promotion and strategies to educate the population about the risk and protective behaviours. 

Prevention and health promotion has had a huge impact on tobacco smoking rates over the past few decades. Public health policy approaches, including health promotion, regulation and increased taxation on tobacco products, have led to a steady reduction in the daily tobacco smoking rate from 24% in 1991 to 13% in 2013 for people aged 14 and over. This decline has been particularly marked for younger people, with the fall in daily smoking rates over the past decade occurring predominantly among people aged 18–49. The average age at which young people aged 14–24 smoked their first cigarette has risen steadily since 2001 (15.9 years in 2013 compared with 14.3 in 2001) and the proportions of secondary school students aged 12–17 who reported smoking in their lifetime, in the past 4 weeks, past week or on 3 days of the last 7, continues to decline (White & Williams 2015).

Daily smokers aged 14 and over and key tobacco control measures, Australia, 1990–2016

According to the AIHW, chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, cancer, and diabetes remain the leading causes of illness, disability, and death in Australia, accounting for a significant majority of the top causes of death in 2024.  Strategies to help reduce the impact of chronic disease and associated risk factors are a focus for all Australian governments.

Key risk factors associated with chronic disease include poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, high body mass and high blood pressure. These risk factors are largely preventable and can be reduced or eliminated through behavioural changes or managed with medical treatments (for example, medication for high blood pressure). 

Health promotion risk strategies targeting risk factors are wide-ranging, from guidelines and legislation to health programs and media campaigns. See the image below for examples.