Along with recent changes in the nature of disease, social and environmental conditions and medical care practices, we are faced with a new set of problems for the field of public health. It represents a corresponding increase in importance of the chronic and degenerative diseases. Therefore, it is realized that socio-cultural factors are much more important for these diseases in treatment and prevention. These trends require a real challenge to traditional forms of public health activities in Korea. This paper emphasizes the role of health education in dealing with all aspects of newly appeared health problems on the present stage. It also discusses a brief summary of some of the major trends in the field of health and medical care that have particular behavioral and sociological relevance.