Conceptual Confusion in Health Promotion Terminology: Implications for Equity, Resource Allocation, and Evidence-Based Policy

Haghighi, Mahdi; Ganjali, Abbas; Heydari, Forough; Haghighi, Gholamreza

doi:10.22034/hp.2026.589705.1088

Conceptual Confusion in Health Promotion Terminology: Implications for Equity, Resource Allocation, and Evidence-Based Policy

Document Type : Letter to the Editor

Authors

Mahdi Haghighi ¹

Abbas Ganjali ²

Forough Heydari ³

Gholamreza Haghighi ⁴

¹ Faculty of Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.

² Laboratory of the Food and Drug Deputy, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.

³ Faculty Affairs Expert, Deputy of Education, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.

⁴ Assistant Professor of Traditional Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.

10.22034/hp.2026.589705.1088

Abstract

Conceptual clarity is essential for effective public health policy, intervention design, and resource allocation. However, health promotion terminology is often used inconsistently, with frequent overlap among health promotion, disease prevention, health education, and health protection. This ambiguity can distort intervention classification, bias resource allocation toward downstream clinical approaches, and weaken evidence synthesis. In this letter, we argue that clearer conceptual boundaries are needed to support health equity, policy evaluation, and the effective translation of evidence into practice. We recommend that journals, reviewers, and public health institutions require explicit operational definitions and stronger terminological consistency in future publications.

Keywords

Health promotion

Terminology

Conceptual clarity

Public health policy

Resource allocation