The aim of this paper is to discuss what actors and which social issues first generated a discussion which in turn opened opportunities for multiple prevention and promotion programs in Swedish education. The program phenomenon is thus not only understood in relation to specific individuals or groups, but as a materialized result of a discursive struggle between different actors and interests (Chouliaraki & Fairclough 1999). The starting point is taken from some central concepts (health, value base and bullying) that are used in a selection of programs to legitimize their existence. In the paper those concepts are analyzed from how they are used by a selection of national authorities, chosen because they are frequently mentioned in the programs (National Agency of Education, National Board of Health and Welfare, Swedish National Institute of Public Health). The analysis is based on texts produced since the late 1990s. The result shows that the way the concepts are used has changed over time and that they partly overlap. As the national authorities authorize some interpretations and set limits for others, the linguistic force can in the next step be used by program constructors as a way to legitimize their arguments and actions.