3.1.9—Health prevention/treatment
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Objective
- 3.1.9
- Level
- HL
Prevention and treatment work at different points in a health pathway
Prevention aims to reduce risk before a problem develops; treatment responds after a condition is present. Public-health, psychological and technological interventions can target behaviour, exposure, access or recovery.
A prevention plan should name the target population, mechanism and outcome, then monitor reach and unintended effects. Digital tools can improve access or self-monitoring, but privacy, engagement and unequal access can change their impact.
A screening app may prompt early help-seeking, while a therapy platform may support treatment. Neither works simply because it is digital: evidence must show who uses it, what changes and whether harms or exclusion occur.
Prevention is not the same as treatment and an intervention's availability is not its effectiveness. Separate mechanism, uptake, outcome and equity.