Australian child and youth health and education wellbeing policy: are we addressing the social determinants of health?

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Children and youth are an important population group requiring
specific policies to address their needs. In Australia, most children and youth are
doing well, however, certain equity groups are not. To address health equity in policy, applying a social determinants of health approach is considered best practice. For over 10 years governments in Australia have been called upon to address the social determinants of health, however, there has been limited action. Health and education departments are typically most involved in policy development for children and youth. To date, there have been limited systematic analyses of Australian child and youth health policies, and selected education wellbeing policies, with a social determinants of health and health equity focus and this study aims to contribute to addressing this gap. Methods: We conducted a policy analysis study across 26 Australian child and youth health policies, and selected education wellbeing policies. We used an existing prior coding framework with a social determinants of health and health equity lens to understand the extent to which the social determinants of health and heath equity were addressed. Policies were dated 2009 onwards.
Results: Across 26 selected policies only 10% of strategies addressed the social
determinants of health. We report on the social determinants of health addressed, to some degree, which includes early childhood development, education, parental workplace conditions, healthy settings, and housing, and to a lesser extent, public transport and regulation.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates a lack of policy
action on the social determinants of health. Rather, the application of a siloed,
and predominantly acute care approach. However, there is recognition of equity
across all policies; an emphasis on housing as a determinant of health; and a link
between health and education departments through education wellbeing policies,
specifically addressing the issue of mental health.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication17th World Congress on Public Health: A world in turmoil: Opportunities to focus on the public’s health, Rome, Italy.
Subtitle of host publicationPopul. Med. 2023;5(Supplement):A764
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 May 2023

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