Abstract
The concept of empowerment is investigated in the light of research evidence and practical experience. The text is divided into two parts. Part 1 discusses the empowerment of health professionals, and the interaction between health education and health policy. Part II examines the empowerment of specific client groups. Topics addressed include empowerment in the acute setting, in primary care, in relation to older people, in encouraging women to breastfeed, and in the prevention of childhood accidents. The self-empowerment approach to health promotion involves much more than preventing disease through the provision of knowledge. The overall aim of empowerment is to foster informed choice, thus enabling an individual to make their own health decisions, even if those decisions are not the perceived healthy options.