FQ4: What actions are needed to address Australia’s health priorities?

Question 1

What are the 5 components of the Ottawa Charter?

Answer 1

Developing personal skills
Creating supportive environments
Strengthening community action
Reorienting health services
Building healthy public policy

Question 2

What are the levels of responsibility, and which element of OC do they link to?

Answer 2

1. Individuals and Families - Developing personal skills
2. Community Groups and Non-Govt Organisations - Strengthening community action
3. NSW Public Health System - Reorienting health services
4. Health Practitioners - Reorienting health services, Creating supportive environments
5. State and Commonwealth Governments - Building healthy public policy by addressing health determinants
6. Industry and Business - Creating supportive environments
7. Media - Strengthening community action

Question 3

What are the benefits of partnerships in health promotion?

Answer 3

• The risk of people or populations adopting poor health behaviours is vastly reduced
• People already practising poor health behaviours are then encouraged to reduce or eliminate these negative behaviour = improve health and decrease burden on health care system
• Individuals and communities included in the planning of all HP programs → ensure interests + needs are addresses
• Inclusiveness → encourages participation = better health outcomes by empowering individuals and communities

Question 4

How is intersectoral action implemented? Provide an example.

Answer 4

• Policy
• Research
• Planning
• Practice
• Funding

Implemented through:
Advocacy
Legislation
Policy change
Programs
Community projects
Consultative community meetings
Surveys
Analysis of local health data

EXAMPLE: National Mental Health Strategy
Brings together federal government departments with: State and territorial departments, Community groups, Professional associations, Private sector organisations

Develop an intersectoral response to addressing mental health issues

Question 5

What are the 3 social justice principles?

Answer 5

1. Equity
2. Diversity
3. Supportive Environments

Question 6

How does developing personal skills link to the social justice principles? Provide an example for each.

Answer 6

EQUITY:
- All people should have access to education and skill development regardless of SC, SE and E determinants
- Access to education must be assured for all individuals - can make decisions about their health = positive outcomes

EXAMPLE: PDHPE curriculum + free online health courses + distance education

DIVERSITY:
- Programs should be personalised to cater for the diversity in our population (ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic etc.)
- Information is relevant to all people irrespective of differences: Personalised programs

EXAMPLE: health pamphlets in multiple languages utilising images, e.g. self-breast examination

SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS:
- People share their skills and knowledge within their environment = supportive

EXAMPLE: parents educate and model for their children, who do the same in their peer groups

Question 7

How does reorienting health services link to the social justice principles? Provide an example for each.

Answer 7

EQUITY:
- Health services must address the inequities in health
- All individuals should have the opportunity to train in HP + provision of health programs
- Change in professional education and training

EXAMPLE: mental health promotion and services in rural and remote locations
EXAMPLE: training local nurses in rural communities to become nurse practitioners

DIVERSITY:
- Health services must meet the diverse needs of the communities they are in
- Health services should be culturally sensitive + respect diverse needs of all people irrespective of background

EXAMPLE: Promoting balanced diet amongst ATSI people
EXAMPLE: Doctors should be aware of specific cultural influences that could be affecting health

SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS:
- Health services must help provide a supportive environment

EXAMPLE: Multi Purpose Service Program for rural and remote people

Question 8

How does strengthening community action link to the social justice principles? Provide an example for each.

Answer 8

EQUITY:
- Communities of people suffering inequity in health need to be utilised + empowered = improve their health
- Vital for resources to be equally available to all communities

EXAMPLE: ATSI is involved in the development and implementation of health promotion for ATSI
EXAMPLE: Distributing funding amongst all communities

DIVERSITY:
- Each community has its own diversity and needs to be consulted in health promotion
- All people’s ideas taken into account
- Communities have specific strategies, rather than an overall strategy for all communities - target health priorities specific to the community

EXAMPLE: Large Jewish population in Bondi, Lebanese in Bankstown etc. should be empowered in relation to health promotion initiative specific for them
EXAMPLE: Involving all stakeholders in decision making

SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS:
- Communities that become empowered need an environment that supports their healthy choices
- Requires access and availability of services and facilities

EXAMPLE: bushwalks being maintained in the blue mountains to encourage locals to walk

Question 9

How does building healthy public policy link to the social justice principles? Provide an example for each.

Answer 9

EQUITY:
- Public policy aim: producing equity in health status
- Legislation, policies and fines - governments
- Laws = all people treated fairly

EXAMPLE: Medicare
Provides access to health services for socioeconomically disadvantaged people
EXAMPLE: Smoking Bans
All workplaces have government enforced smoking bans to protect all people regardless of income
EXAMPLE: PBS
Equal access to medication for all Australians

DIVERSITY:
- Public policy accounts for the diversity of our population → provide for all people groups
EXAMPLE: Close the Gap Initiative
Aims to remove the health inequity for ATSI people in 1 generation

SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS:
- Policy should aim to produce an environment that supports healthy choices
EXAMPLE: No smoking in pubs and clubs

Question 10

How does creating supportive environments link to the social justice principles? Provide an example for each.

Answer 10

EQUITY:
- An environment is not supportive if it does not seek to provide equity
EXAMPLE: increasing access to health facilities for rural and remote people

DIVERSITY:
- To be supportive - the environment must also cater for the diversity of the people
- Catering for cultural requirements
EXAMPLE: providing translators for specific groups in specific community health centres/hospitals etc.
EXAMPLE: Women’s only gyms for Muslim women and creation of full swimming hijabs for swimming

SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS:
- Creating environments that encourage healthy choices is vital in health promotion
- People can make positive decisions about their health
- People around us can create barriers to optimise our health
- HP - must acknowledge the importance of the environment
EXAMPLE: ensuring good parks for outdoor activities
EXAMPLE: increased lighting and increased security of parks and bike tracks - more people will use it in the early morning or evening
More use = increased fitness

Question 11

Analyse a national initiative that depicts the OC in action.

Answer 11

Closing the Gap (2008)

BUILDING HEALTHY PUBLIC POLICY
- Council of Australian Governments (COAG) committed to close the gap
“Close the Gap Statement of Intent” - signed in 2008
- In line with WHO “Close the Gap in a Generation” Policy
- Establishment of national indigenous representative body - provided funding to upskill workforce to meet challenges of remote indigenous education
- Set measurable targets for equality

DEVELOPING PERSONAL SKILLS
- Seeks to increase ATSI education levels and provide primary healthcare services through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
- Provide learning support and ensure healthcare is provided to ATSI mothers, babies and children

CREATING SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS
- Seeks to train health professionals (especially ATSI) to deliver primary healthcare and other services for ATSI people
- Relate to the elders - already trained in customary/traditional healthcare
- Seeks to ensure healthy fresh food is available for ATSI people and are developing housing and waste supplies/removal systems to improve housing equity
- Federal Police - recruited ATSI people and developed training programs on policing in ATSI communities
- Reducing cultural barriers
- Diverse groups (ATSI) will be more inclined and open to treatment and rehab
- Extra teachers in remote areas

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY ACTION
- Involving ATSI people and community groups/elders in the panning of local and regional levels
- NACCHO - exclusively for ATSI
- Delivers culturally appropriate primary health services by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
- Safe environment + relate to ATSI individuals

REORIENTING HEALTH SERVICES
- Seeks to utilise primary healthcare to both prevent and promote health in balance with curative services
- Provision of education through health services and promotes healthy lifestyles, while trying to prevent chronic disease
- Seeks to ensure ATSI communities have housing, water supplies and systems that support health equality