Education for health. A role for physicians and the efficacy of health education efforts. Council on Scientific Affairs.

Health education efforts have grown dramatically over the past decade and seek to improve the health of individuals by providing them with information that will lead to behavioral changes and thereby result in improved health. There is now substantial evidence to support the idea that health education activities can alter health behaviors, even though the mechanisms by which health education efforts succeed are largely unknown. Physicians could add to the success of health education efforts by incorporating preventive services into their patient encounters, particularly patients in high-risk situations. There are many examples of successful physician-based interventions, and a new emphasis on preventive services in primary care is emerging.