The primary prevention of disease, including cancer, has been a major part of health promo tion and health education for decades. However, the long-term results of these strategies have been mixed, and primary preven-tion as an instrument of cancer control continues to fail to live up to either public or pro fessional expectations. The authors identify and critique two possible factors contributing to this failure and then offer a model for the development and implementation of primary prevention strategies that addresses these factors. The model used is based on Habermas’s theory of communicative action and recognizes the importance of a critical dialogue in health education and health promotion. The primary prevention programs currently being conducted by the Cancer Centre for the Southern Interior are presented as an example of the model in action.
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