<P> Preventive healthcare (alternately preventive medicine or prophylaxis) consists of measures taken for disease prevention, as opposed to disease treatment . Just as health encompasses a variety of physical and mental states, so do disease and disability, which are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, disease agents, and lifestyle choices . Health, disease, and disability are dynamic processes which begin before individuals realize they are affected . Disease prevention relies on anticipatory actions that can be categorized as primal, primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention . </P> <P> Each year, millions of people die of preventable deaths . A 2004 study showed that about half of all deaths in the United States in 2000 were due to preventable behaviors and exposures . Leading causes included cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, unintentional injuries, diabetes, and certain infectious diseases . This same study estimates that 400,000 people die each year in the United States due to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle . According to estimates made by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 55 million people died worldwide in 2011, two thirds of this group from non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and chronic cardiovascular and lung diseases . This is an increase from the year 2000, during which 60% of deaths were attributed to these diseases . Preventive healthcare is especially important given the worldwide rise in prevalence of chronic diseases and deaths from these diseases . </P>

Which of the following is an example of preventive care