The practice of preventive medicine can be traced back centuries ago when people began to be conscious of environmental conditions that gravely affect their health. Unclear waters and unhealthy living conditions start to bother people and they began being hygienic to prevent the acquisition of certain illnesses and diseases. Through the years, individual efforts for diseases prevention and health enhancement paved the way to the establishment of governmental and community groups that specializes and promotes the practice and importance of disease prevention. An example is the Center of Disease Control and Prevention in the United States that provides guidelines, as well as designs initiatives and reinforces disease prevention practices.

Preventive medicine, as a medical disciple, focuses on the prevention of diseases and in the promotion of general state of health and well- being. This is also considered a board specialty practice in Europe and the United States, which means that a physician can focus on preventive medicine while they strive for their medical degree. In these Western countries, preventive medicine is also considered an arm of public health and safety, applicable to all members of the population.

The area of preventive medicine covers a lot of issues and concerns. The practice of this discipline in application to the community involves extensive efforts on public health, pest and insect control; food safety; vaccinations; and improvements of water supply, homes, and individuals in terms of hygiene. There are also various medical concerns that encompass preventive medicine including the prevention of outbreaks, health education, food supply monitoring, epidemiology, and more. This goes to show that the preventive medicine is more than just a medical concern of the chosen few. Aside from these, preventive medicine is also an important factor in some economic and social issues that continue to prevail over time.