Prevention in education setting: the case of scoliosis

Prevention, rather than treatment, should be the action taken in order to promote health maintenance. Prevention reduces the cost and suffering associated to the illness from which one has to recover. Prevention in schools and universities must be remarked due to the fact that these contexts represent crucial periods in the development of children and teenagers. Moreover, students spend a great part of their time in those settings and the life habits and hazardous behavior they learn during this time are of crucial importance. This paper attempts to present a new conceptualization of preventive interventions. Secondly, it suggests a guideline for preventive intervention: a) problem definition, b) analysis of epidemiological data, c) establishing a model of the disorder’s onset, d) appraisal of alternative interventions, e) program design, and f) outcome evaluation. Finally, to illustrate the above, a prevention program on scoliosis in schools is included.