Health of the Public
The American Nurses Association (ANA) exists to promote the health of the public and advance the nursing profession through the development and support of prevention programs. Nursing must expand its efforts to design and implement interventions which support promotion of health and prevention of disease/illness and disability. Preventing illness and staying well involve complex, multidimensional activities focused not only on the individual, but also on families, groups and populations. Approaches to prevention should be comprehensive, encompass primary, secondary and tertiary levels of prevention and involve consumers in their formulation. Prevention strategies are more likely to be adopted by citizens who participate in influencing and developing such strategies.