[Health education, prevention, health promotion]

Concepts, methodology and health education activities can only be undertaken in the context of a public health promotion strategy. This framework favours actions involving many sectors and institutions responsible for promoting well-being in the 'community and environment of life and work', in which preventive and educational programmes must also be collocated. This implies a widened and redefined vision of health, involving individual and collective responsibility within a social context. Punctuating various periods of history, this concept of collective responsibility emerged above those of the individuals and particular groups. The focus and the action must be set in the appropriate context: e.g. the work place, the school, the family and those places where the policy and promotion of well-being must be developed. Under the same perspective the health services, especially of the local area, must also be re-oriented. A capillary development and diffusion of a user participatory 'health culture' is also indispendable. However, whilst these concepts represent the basis of the Italian Health Service legislation, they are not always favoured.