Abstract:In April 2008 the Australian Government announced the establishment of a National Preventative Health Taskforce (NPHT) with the primary function of developing a national preventative health strategy. In October 2008 a discussion paper and three technical reports1 were released with a call for input from individuals and organisations, professional and consumer groups. This editorial outlines four key issues from the Australian Health Promotion Association's (AHPA) submission:
the importance of a broad social d… Show more
“…For some professionals, these terms are fundamentally different from 'health promotion'. 8,9 It is pivotal to articulate the important role and function that health promotion plays within Australia's health system and that of other sectors, including the human services. 5,10 We need to reinforce that the work we undertake, in its various forms, is about improving population health by keeping people healthy and preventing illness.…”
“…For some professionals, these terms are fundamentally different from 'health promotion'. 8,9 It is pivotal to articulate the important role and function that health promotion plays within Australia's health system and that of other sectors, including the human services. 5,10 We need to reinforce that the work we undertake, in its various forms, is about improving population health by keeping people healthy and preventing illness.…”
“…At a national level, AHPA has also played an active role in advocacy and partnership efforts about action on the SDH, as evidenced in a 2009 Editorial published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia , which outlined AHPA's response to the discussion paper released by the [then) National Preventive Health Taskforce:To achieve outcomes that are equitable and sustainable across populations, a broader social determinants approach is essential to address the underlying individual, social, economic, political, cultural and environmental contexts that enable or hinder action…and collaboration to ensure the conditions in which people grow, live, go to school, work, and age are conducive to health [, p5]…”
Section: Stewardship On Sdh By the Australian Health Promotion Associmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…To achieve outcomes that are equitable and sustainable across populations, a broader social determinants approach is essential to address the underlying individual, social, economic, political, cultural and environmental contexts that enable or hinder action…and collaboration to ensure the conditions in which people grow, live, go to school, work, and age are conducive to health [, p5]…”
Section: Stewardship On Sdh By the Australian Health Promotion Associmentioning
“…Peak population health bodies and scholars responded accordingly, sensing that health promotion was finally being afforded appropriate visibility and status at the highest level of government and at the highest tiers of the health system. 5 The following view of Oldenburg and Harper 21 is…”
Section: Recent Policy Investments In Health Promotion and Preventionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This was echoed by the profession's peak body, the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA), 5 which noted that it: strongly supports the establishment of an adequately funded national prevention and/or health promotion agency with clear responsibilities to promote health, build health equity, fund and guide the implementation of the National Preventative Health Taskforce recommendations, invest in health promotion infrastructure, and keep health promotion high on the political agenda.…”
Section: Box 2 Tobacco Control In Australiamentioning
Issue addressed Over the last three decades there has been an incremental investment in health promotion and prevention across Australia; yet, the Commonwealth Government and some state/territory governments have more recently instigated funding cuts in health promotion and prevention. This paper argues that the role of health promotion is critical in contemporary Australia and discusses strategies needed to move forward within the context of recent disinvestments. Discussion Key areas of concern relating to recent health promotion and prevention disinvestment in Australia include the abolishment of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, the cessation of the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health and significant cuts to Indigenous programs. These changes pose a significant threat to the health, economic and social well being of Australians and the region, particularly those that are most vulnerable. Conclusions Future health promotion and prevention efforts will require strategic leadership and action to enhance the promotion of health equity in Australia over the coming decades. We call on governments to (re)invest in health promotion and prevention both in and outside the health sector so that health promotion professionals can continue their advocacy efforts aimed at articulating their professional place in improving population health. So what? Recent changes to national health promotion and prevention policy are detrimental to the health and well being of the Australian population, particularly those most vulnerable. Sound planning to revitalise and refocus health promotion action in Australia is urgently required.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
