Health promotion has the technology to do that job. Second, health promotion includes a technology to strengthen communities' ability to take effective action at the local level. The technology includes methods to map and mobilise local resources, activate citizen, government and corporate participation, plan for and manage positive change, transform neighbourhoods and key institutions such as homes, schools, hospitals and work places into health-promoting environments, evaluate progress and problems, and make required course corrections. The technology builds local capacity for all these actions, so that reliance on uncertain external support is avoided. The technology can be applied in virtually all communities.
Experience shows that even the very poorest communities can benefit significantly.
Third, health promotion includes a technology to improve the ability of health care systems to practice primary prevention, provide health education, and improve the quality of informal care provided by family members. Proven methods for developing and maintaining health promotion infrastructure within local health care systems are included. Also included is advanced training for health care professionals on ways to involve patients in developing their own treatment plans. Fourth, health promotion includes a technology to assist citizens to take control over and improve their own health through behaviour and lifestyle change, and also learn how to be wiser consumers of health care and preventive services. This definition is an over-simplification, of course, and leaves out many worthy elements of health promotion.