Emphasis of Health Promotion is on prevention, rather than treatment. Optimal health is defined as a balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of efforts to enhance awareness, change behavior and create environments that support good health practices. As indicated by this definition, health promotion is a multidimensional field and includes behavioral sciences, education, and public health.
Much emphasis is given to psychological and behavioral aspects.
The very essence of this field is based on a holistic and behavioral approach to health. The development of the field of health promotion was due largely to the lack of personal responsibility for one's health as evidenced by an increase in diseases that are related to lifestyle. A great area of overlap exists between the fields of health promotion and psychology. Health promotion is in the business of promoting health. It is grounded in the idea that it is essential for people to know how and why they need to change behaviors to improve their health.