The Role of Education in Preventing Diseases

Political change in Poland since the 1990s has involved not only transformation of the economy but also social policy, including that pertaining to the structure, financing, and functioning of the health care system. Health education and promotion is gaining in importance and increasingly is being seen as a strategy that is effective in limiting the incidence of certain diseases. Health education is effective because it helps make people aware that it is better to prevent disease than to cure it. As Sen (1999) reminds us, health is a vital component of human capability.