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primary prevention

Definition of Primary Prevention

(noun) Any action taken to prevent social problems from occurring.

Primary Prevention Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: pri·mar·y pre·ven·tion

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /prIE-mair-ee pri-vEn-shuhn/
  • British English – /prIE-muh-ree pri-vEn-shuhn/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈpraɪˌmɛri priˈvɛnʃən/
  • British English – /ˈpraɪməri prɪˈvɛnʃən/

Usage Note

  • Plural: primary preventions

Additional Information

Related Terms


Cite the Definition of Primary Prevention

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2017. “primary prevention.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/primary-prevention/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

primary prevention. (2017). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/primary-prevention/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2017. “primary prevention.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/primary-prevention/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“primary prevention.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2017. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/primary-prevention/>.