In concert with its main partners - the Ministry of Health , the National Health Insurance Fund for Salaried Workers , the Inter-Ministry Mission for the Fight against Drugs and Drug Addiction , the State Information Service , the National Cancer Institute -, the Inpes conducts prevention and health education programmes that fall within the more general framework of public health policies. The Institute develops its own expertise in the area of health promotion.

The functioning of the Inpes is organised around programmes established according to the major priorities in public health defined by the Ministry of Health.

Health promotion programmes
The Inpes is involved through programmes that are implemented within the general framework of public health policy. They are elaborated by the Institute's multi-disciplinary teams in line with public health objectives set by the Ministry of Health. These programmes use the different means available to the Institute: studies, research, communication, information, educational tools, support for actions of proximity in the field of health education or patient education, public relations, etc. They aim at allowing the population to have better control over the state of its health or improve it. They add to structuring projects such as the Health Barometer , Internet site, " Pédagothèque ", assistance to regional health education schemes, training development, etc.

Campaigns
In order to help the population adopt lifestyles and behaviours that preserve and improve health, the Institutes designs and implements numerous prevention campaigns geared to major priority issues in public health: addictive behaviour (alcohol, tobacco, drugs), infectious (Aids, hepatitis, vaccines, etc.) or chronic (Alzheimer's, asthma, back pains, diabetes, etc.) diseases, nutrition, accidents of everyday life (domestic fires, drowning, falls of the elderly, sports and leisure accidents, etc.), mental health, etc.
These campaigns (television, radio, press, posters, etc.) address the entire population or different targeted audiences. They can also involve professionals acting as relays.
Most of the time, they are subject to pre and post-testing, which makes it possible to measure their impact in terms of audiences, memorisation and appreciation.

Surveys and studies
The Inpes is an important centre for the production of data obtained from research, studies and evaluations. This data reflects the expertise of the establishment and is placed at the service of its activities.
This expertise leads to a certain number of deliverables, with Health Barometers leading the way. These are national telephone surveys that cover the evolution of knowledge, opinions, attitudes and behaviours of the French population in the area of health.
Regularly published since 1992, these studies are a reference tool for decision-makers, researchers, the press and different players in the field of health. Health Barometers cover three segments of the population: adults (18 to 75-year olds), young people (12 to 19-year olds), and general practitioners and independent pharmacists. Moreover, the study of the nutritional behaviour of the French falls under a specific barometer.

Development of prevention infrastructures
The Inpes provides its support to health promotion research and the development of health education in health care establishments, the school environment, the work place, etc.
It co-ordinates the HPH (Health Promoting Hospital) network launched in 1992 by the WHO, which encourages the development of health promotion in hospitals.
It also leads prevention networks, establishes initial or continuing training programmes in health education and strives to obtain recognition for prevention and health education trades.
Furthermore, it provides its technical assistance in preparing “Schémas Régionaux d'Éducation pour la Santé [Regional Health Education Schemes - SREPS] elaborated by the de-centralised services of the State.
The Inpes provides financial aide to numerous prevention and health education operators. This aide takes the form of annual calls for projects . It enhances the emergence of regional platforms dedicated to players in prevention and health education.

Publications
The Inpes is actively involved in publishing. Each year, the Institute publishes and distributes 70 to 80 million documents intended for the general public and health care and education professionals.
Its catalogue includes some 230 references, most of which are free of charge (brochures, leaflets, posters, educational sets, stickers, books, CD, audio and video cassettes, etc.). These documents can also be downloaded from the Institute's site.

"La Santé de l'Homme" (The Health of Man)
The Inpes publishes a bi-monthly reference journal in the area of health education: " La Santé de l'Homme ", which has existed for over 60 years. The journal is the privileged link between the Institute and health education professionals, for which it is an analysis and policy tool. The journal is also used as a support tool for training sessions. It has a circulation of about 11,000 copies.
Its authors come from a variety of backgrounds: representative of the education sector, Mutual Insurance System and local authorities, sociologists, psychologists, doctors, nursing care executives, statisticians, anthropologists, etc.

Three electronic letters
For several years, the Inpes has published two electronic letters. The first, " Tabac Actualités " (Tobacco News) is published monthly. The second, " Alcool Actualités " (Alcohol News) is bi-monthly. Both are available online.
As of January 2005, équilibres , a third monthly electronic letter covering news on the Inpes will be made available to all prevention and health education professionals.

Support tools for actions
The support tools for actions developed by the Inpes are designed according to the specific characteristics of the audiences approached: children in primary schools, adolescents in high schools, elderly persons, patients, etc.
In the school environment, the educational sets collection " Les Chemins de la Santé " (The Paths to Health), intended for 8 to 10-year old schoolchildren, includes four titles: " Léo et l'Eau" (Léo and Water), "Léo et la Terre" (Léo and Earth), "Léa et l'Air" (Léa and Air), and "Léa et le Feu" (Léa and Fire) .
Other tools take situations of social vulnerability and economic difficulty of some populations into account, such as the "Atout Prix" file on nutrition.
In addition, specific therapeutic education material is intended for patients suffering from certain chronic diseases and/or for those that care for them or are part of their support structure (the "EdDias" tool for Type 2 Diabetes, the "Alzheimer and Related Pathologies" tool, information and training CD-ROM in screening for breast cancer, uterine cancer and intestinal cancer, etc.).
The thematic collection " Ouvrons le Dialogue " (Let's talk) is designed to facilitate exchanges on subjects that are often sensitive between the doctor and the patient: alcohol, tobacco, back pains, etc.

The "Pédagothèque" database
Through this database accessible on its Internet site, the Inpes makes available validated reference tools that have been evaluated over the last few years with the collaboration of health education committees.

The Documentation Centre
It proposes documentary material, a selection of works and articles, and a schedule of events that can be consulted on the Inpes site. It produces a bibliographical database (12,000 references) and processes or directs 4000 internal or outside requests each year.

Evaluation of actions
The means used to implement prevention and health education policies have become more and more substantial. They thus require that tools for evaluating the actions conducted be developed. The Institute designs and promotes these evaluations, which are systematised. Their results are made public.
The periodicity, objectives and methods used for evaluations are integrated into the programmes and become a part of them. Based on quantified objectives set for the Institute's programmes, the evaluation makes it possible to measure their degree of advancement. It must also make it possible to reach the level of user satisfaction expected from the Institute's actions.