Evidence-Based Health Promotion/Population Health Models
Operating from a set of philosophies that focus on overall health, quality of life and well-being, Canada has been a world leader in the field of health promotion: "the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health" (World Health Organization 1986). As an alternative to lifestyle- and behaviour-based prevention efforts, health promotion aims to facilitate individual and community empowerment so that all people, both ill and well, are able to achieve a greater sense of control over the many complex factors that affect their health. Effective health promotion and prevention efforts do much more than "establish linkages with community resources relevant to chronic illness care" (Glasgow et al. 2001 79: 589-90), as recommended by the CCM. Instead, effective health promotion follows the lead of the community in addressing its needs and developing strategies to meet those needs