prevention

Heading it off

Prevention is the act of stopping something from happening before it does.

The word appears most often in contexts of health and safety: disease prevention, crime prevention, fire prevention.

The phrase an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure captures the idea that stopping problems early costs less than fixing them later.

health

vaccination

Administered immunity booster

immunizationProtective medical injection
hygienePractices maintaining cleanliness
screeningEvaluative selection process

wellness · nutrition · sanitation · exercise · checkup · prophylaxis · diet · abstinence · cleanliness · temperance

safety

helmets

Protective head coverings

seatbeltsVehicle passenger restraints
guardrailsProtective edge barriers
lifejacketsWearable flotation devices

handrails · firewall · childproofing · safeguard · airbags · railings · goggles · harness · caution · lockout-tagout

protection

barrier

Obstruction preventing passage

shieldingProtecting from harm
insulationThermal transfer prevention
fencingCombat with blunted blades

fortification · sealing · buffering · enclosure · preservation · safeguarding · firebreak · quarantine · containment · inoculation

deterrence

sanctions

Punitive international restrictions

embargoOfficial prohibition on trade
penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
retaliationPunitive response to injury

countermeasure · threat · disincentive · dissuasion · coercion · prohibition · moratorium · blockade · discouragement · constraint

intervention

outreach

Proactive community assistance

educationSystematic development of mind
awarenessState of perceiving reality
counselingProfessional guidance for problems

cessation · rehabilitation · campaign · program · initiative · workshop · seminar · clinic · guidance · support

Categories

healthhealth, wellness, vitality, fitness, well-being
public healthimmunization, disease control, health education, epidemiology, community health
health educationhealth education, health curriculum, school health, health literacy, health videos
restrictionsban, bans, limits, limit, restrictions
choleracholera vaccine, diarrhea, rehydration, waterborne disease, contaminated water
emergency stagesacute phase, crisis, preparation, response, onset

Opposites

action toward occurrence

preventionpromotion

Rank increase or publicity

encouragement · facilitation · enablement · enabling · assistance

temporal intervention strategy

preventioncure

Treatment that heals

treatment · remedy · mitigation · remediation · intervention

causal role

preventioncausation

Production of effects

cause · catalyst · trigger · provocation · inducement

Phrases

abuse preventionStopping mistreatment before occurs
pollution preventionStopping contaminants at origin
fire preventionStopping combustion before ignition
crime preventionStopping offenses before occurrence
foreclosure preventionStopping bank repossession
loss preventionProtecting store inventory

Family

preventing, preventive, preventions, preventively, preventives

Familiarity: Top 20,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G