Need of Health Promotion Movement in India

Abstract

Code of Hammurabi and Mosaic Law provides early references to health promotion. These references focused on disposal of waste, disease prevention, segregation of infectious person. In 5000 BC, Ayurvedic practices in Indian system of medicine focused on personal hygiene, water supply, sanitation and engineering practices that supported health. Chinese Medicine dates back to 2700 BC, which focused on diet, hygiene, massage, hydrotherapy and immunization. The ancient Greeks were the first civilization to emphasize that health is a function of physical and social environments, as well as human behavior. According to Roman philosophy, the state-not the individual-had the greatest influence on health, thereby, they focused on community health measures, including paved streets, street cleaning, transportation of clean water, and sanitary waste disposal.