Healthy diet, exercise, avoiding tobacco, wearing seat belts, and immunizations are examples of what type of prevention?

The correct answer focuses on primary prevention, which aims to prevent disease or injury before it occurs. This type of prevention includes healthcare strategies that promote overall health and well-being, reducing the risk factors associated with disease.

Healthy diet and exercise contribute to maintaining physical health and preventing obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Avoiding tobacco is crucial to prevent lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory issues, while wearing seat belts significantly reduces the risk of serious injury or death in motor vehicle accidents. Immunizations play a key role in preventing infectious diseases such as influenza, measles, and COVID-19 by priming the immune system to fight off pathogens before exposure occurs.

This proactive approach contrasts with secondary prevention, which focuses on early detection and intervention in the presence of a disease (like screening for cancer), and tertiary prevention, which aims to manage and mitigate the effects of an established disease to improve the quality of life. Quaternary prevention is a more recent concept that involves reducing unnecessary medical interventions or harm, focusing on patient safety and avoiding over-treatment. Thus, these strategies are effectively categorized under primary prevention due to their preventive intent against diseases before they manifest.