Where is the line between education and preventative healthcare? This is a question I’ve returned to time and time again. In my work at Healthia, where we help organisations design services that embed prevention into health and wellbeing strategies, it has become clear to me that many of the health challenges we face, whether mental or physical, aren’t just health issues. They are, first and foremost, education issues.

I’ve experienced this first-hand. My own cancer diagnoses and mental health journey led me to focus on prevention in mental health, recognising the need for proactive approaches to help people build resilience before they reach crisis points. That experience reinforced my belief that education plays a critical role in prevention, equipping people with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to stay well in the first place.

Prior to my time at Healthia, through my work in mental health prevention, our team demonstrated through a randomised controlled trial (RCT) that an app-based positive psychology intervention helped university students improve resilience, emotional regulation, and overall well-being. The findings showed that structured mental fitness training can effectively enhance stress management, focus, confidence, and motivation, ultimately playing a role in preventing mental health decline. This evidence-backed approach reinforced the critical role of education in prevention. You can read more about this in the paper published with the University of Lincoln.

The same principle applies to physical health. Diabetes prevention, for example, is shaped by lifestyle, knowledge, habits, and behaviour change, long before it becomes a clinical issue.
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Where’s the line? When does education stop and healthcare start?

If someone develops type 2 diabetes, was there a missed opportunity to embed learning and behaviour change earlier? If a young person struggles with anxiety, was there a point in their education where building mental fitness could have made the difference?
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The case for education in health prevention

Research highlights the deep connection between education and health outcomes. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that individuals with higher levels of education are more likely to report better health outcomes, maintain a healthy weight, refrain from smoking, and adopt healthier behaviours.

Similarly, the National Healthy Schools Programme has shown that integrating health education into school curricula promotes healthier behaviours among students. This programme, focusing on personal, social, and health education, healthy eating, physical activity, and emotional well-being, aims to instill lifelong healthy habits from an early age.

Yet, despite this knowledge, our systems remain reactive rather than preventative. Education and health continue to exist in silos, even though they are deeply intertwined. The challenge lies in shifting mindsets and structures so that prevention, through education, is embedded into how we think about health and wellbeing from the outset.
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Rethinking the healthcare-education divide

This is a challenge we continue to explore: how can organisations design services that integrate education, behaviour change, and innovation to support prevention in a meaningful way?

A key part of this is understanding the credible role of technology in supporting prevention at scale. But it’s not just about technology, it’s about taking a holistic approach across the entire journey, ensuring we cover the moments that matter, whether they are digital or not.

Rather than simply layering on digital tools, we need to be strategic, understanding where digital solutions truly add value and where human connection is irreplaceable. Prevention must become more accessible, personalised, and effective, ensuring that education and support reach people in ways that fit their lives and needs.

If we are serious about tackling the root causes of poor health, we must move beyond simply treating conditions and instead embed education into every stage of life. Schools, workplaces, and communities all have a role to play in equipping people with the knowledge and skills to take control of their health before reaching crisis points.

I’d love to hear others’ thoughts. How do we bridge the gap between education and health? What’s working, and what still needs to change?