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To what Extent do Australian Health Policy Documents address Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2016

MATTHEW FISHER ,
FRANCES E. BAUM ,
COLIN MACDOUGALL ,
LAREEN NEWMAN  and
DENNIS MCDERMOTT
MATTHEW FISHER
Affiliation:
Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity, School of Medicine, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia email: matt.fisher@flinders.edu.au
FRANCES E. BAUM
Affiliation:
Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity, School of Medicine, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia email: fran.baum@flinders.edu.au
COLIN MACDOUGALL
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia. email: colin.macdougall@flinders.edu.au
LAREEN NEWMAN
Affiliation:
Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity, School of Medicine, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia email: lareen.newman@flinders.edu.au
DENNIS MCDERMOTT
Affiliation:
Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Wellbeing, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia. email: dennis.mcdermott@flinders.edu.au
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Abstract

Evidence on social determinants of health and health equity (SDH/HE) is abundant but often not translated into effective policy action by governments. Governments’ health policies have continued to privilege medical care and individualised behaviour-change strategies. In the light of these limitations, the 2008 Commission on the Social Determinants of Health called on health agencies to adopt a stewardship role; to take action themselves and engage other government sectors in addressing SDH/HE. This article reports on research using analysis of health policy documents – published by nine Australian national or regional governments – to examine the extent to which the Australian health sector has taken up such a role.

We found policies across all jurisdictions commonly recognised evidence on SDH/HE and expressed goals to improve health equity. However, these goals were predominantly operationalised in health care and other individualised strategies. Relatively few strategies addressed SDH/HE outside of access to health care, and often they were limited in scope. National policies on Aboriginal health did most to systemically address SDH/HE.

We used Kingdon's (2011) multiple streams theory to examine how problems, policies and politics combine to enable, partially allow, or prevent action on SDH/HE in Australian health policy.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 45 , Issue 3 , July 2016 , pp. 545 - 564
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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