Screening for hypertension is an example of

• A. Primary prevention
• B. Secondary prevention
• C. Tertiary prevention
• D. Health maintenance

Answer: (B)

Screening for hypertension targets people who feel fine but may have high blood pressure, with the goal of finding the condition early and starting treatment to prevent complications. This fits secondary prevention, which involves detecting disease early in asymptomatic individuals and intervening to avert progression to serious outcomes like stroke or heart disease. Primary prevention would aim to stop the disease from developing in the first place (for example, through healthy lifestyle changes to prevent hypertension). Tertiary prevention focuses on reducing damage once a disease has already caused harm, and health maintenance is a broader ongoing wellness approach.