Part 1 · Concepts of Health, Disease and Prevention

6. Levels of Prevention and Modes of Intervention

~2 min read

Same concept, other depth: Foundation →

Dr. Amy

your study friend

Dear Doctor, shall we discuss & understand?

Sweet, clear and patient — like a friend who really wants you to get it. I believe in you — let's grow step by step.

Your tutor:

Voice chat works best in Chrome or Edge — you can also read, listen and type below.

Level	Phase targeted	Modes of intervention	Examples
Primordial	Before risk factors emerge in a population	Policy, environment, social norms	Salt/trans‑fat limits, smoke‑free laws, school activity, urban design
Primary	Risk present, pre‑pathogenesis	Health promotion + specific protection	Vaccines, iodised salt, chlorination, helmets, LLINs, PrEP
Secondary	Early pathogenesis (DPCP)	Early diagnosis and adequate treatment	Screening for HTN/DM/cancer, active case finding for TB, contact tracing
Tertiary	Clinical disease with sequelae	Disability limitation + rehabilitation	Treating diabetic foot, stroke rehab, MCR footwear, self‑care in leprosy
Quaternary	Across all levels	Protection from overmedicalisation	Avoiding unnecessary imaging, overdiagnosis, polypharmacy

Loading the rest of this concept…

Talk it through with Dr. Amy

Dear Doctor, I'll teach a little, then listen to you — slowly, warmly, and at your pace.

Finished this one?

No test, no score — just a tick for you, kept on your own device.

Connected to this topic

Educational only — not a substitute for clinical judgement, supervision, or local guidelines.

Loading…

Level

Phase targeted

Modes of intervention

Examples

Primordial

Before risk factors emerge in a population

Policy, environment, social norms

Salt/trans‑fat limits, smoke‑free laws, school activity, urban design

Primary

Risk present, pre‑pathogenesis

Health promotion + specific protection

Vaccines, iodised salt, chlorination, helmets, LLINs, PrEP

Secondary

Early pathogenesis (DPCP)

Early diagnosis and adequate treatment

Screening for HTN/DM/cancer, active case finding for TB, contact tracing

Tertiary

Clinical disease with sequelae

Disability limitation + rehabilitation

Treating diabetic foot, stroke rehab, MCR footwear, self‑care in leprosy

Quaternary

Across all levels

Protection from overmedicalisation

Avoiding unnecessary imaging, overdiagnosis, polypharmacy