Research
Research
A number of research projects have been undertaken both in Australia and overseas into the social determinants of health. Some of those reports can be downloaded below.
For the latest news and information on social determinants and health equity, visit the Equity, Health & Human Development website or the ACTION:SDH website.
For the latest news and information on social determinants and health equity, visit the Equity, Health & Human Development website or the ACTION:SDH website.
Recommended reading
The Cost of Inaction on the Social Determinants of Health, Catholic Health Australia/National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (2012)
The second CHA/NATSEM report looks at the financial impact on the country if governments fail to implement the WHO recommendations outlined in their 2008 report Closing the Gap in a Generation. The study finds billions of dollars could be saved in health and welfare costs, hundreds of thousands of people could move from welfare to employment and the health outcomes of those in lower socioeconomic groups would drastically improve. Click here to access the report.
Are the national preventive health initiatives likely to reduce health inequities? Professor Fran Baum, Dr Matthew Fisher (2011)
This paper in the Australian Journal of Primary Health examines commitments to address health inequities within Australian government initiatives on health promotion and chronic disease prevention from 2008 to 2011. The paper specifically considers the Council of Australian Governments' "National partnership agreement on preventive health", the National Preventive Health Taskforce report Australia: the healthiest country by 2020, and the Australian Government's response to the taskforce report Taking preventative action. Click here to visit the Australian Journal of Primary Health website.
Health Lies in Wealth, Catholic Health Australia/National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (2010)
This report, Health Lies in Wealth - Health inequalities of Australians of working age, conclusively finds that the health of working aged Australians is affected by socio-economic status. Household income, level of education, household employment, housing tenure and social connectedness all matter when it comes to health. Click here to access the report.
The social determinants of mental health: implications for research and health promotion, Professor Fran Baum, Dr Matthew Fisher (2010)
In this paper in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, the authors argue that combining evidence and ideas from a number of disciplines, including public health research and psychiatry, presents an opportunity to better understand the relationship between social conditions and people's arousal of their stress systems. Understanding that relationship could inform complementary strategies in treatment, prevention and health promotion. Click here to visit the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry website.
Change Not for the Fainthearted, Professor Fran Baum et al. (2009)
This report in the American Journal of Public Health examines how health care systems could be reoriented towards achieving great health equity if action was taken on the social determinants of health. Click here to visit the American Journal of Public Health website.
Social vaccines to resist and change unhealthy social and economic structures, Professor Fran Baum et al. (2009)
The term "social vaccine" was coined to encourage a biomedically-oriented health sector to recognise the legitimacy of action on the distal social and economic determinants of health. It is hoped that the term will assist the health promotion movement in arguing for a social view of health which is often counter to medical and popular conceptions of health. Click here to visit the Health Promotion International website.
The second CHA/NATSEM report looks at the financial impact on the country if governments fail to implement the WHO recommendations outlined in their 2008 report Closing the Gap in a Generation. The study finds billions of dollars could be saved in health and welfare costs, hundreds of thousands of people could move from welfare to employment and the health outcomes of those in lower socioeconomic groups would drastically improve. Click here to access the report.
Are the national preventive health initiatives likely to reduce health inequities? Professor Fran Baum, Dr Matthew Fisher (2011)
This paper in the Australian Journal of Primary Health examines commitments to address health inequities within Australian government initiatives on health promotion and chronic disease prevention from 2008 to 2011. The paper specifically considers the Council of Australian Governments' "National partnership agreement on preventive health", the National Preventive Health Taskforce report Australia: the healthiest country by 2020, and the Australian Government's response to the taskforce report Taking preventative action. Click here to visit the Australian Journal of Primary Health website.
Health Lies in Wealth, Catholic Health Australia/National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (2010)
This report, Health Lies in Wealth - Health inequalities of Australians of working age, conclusively finds that the health of working aged Australians is affected by socio-economic status. Household income, level of education, household employment, housing tenure and social connectedness all matter when it comes to health. Click here to access the report.
The social determinants of mental health: implications for research and health promotion, Professor Fran Baum, Dr Matthew Fisher (2010)
In this paper in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, the authors argue that combining evidence and ideas from a number of disciplines, including public health research and psychiatry, presents an opportunity to better understand the relationship between social conditions and people's arousal of their stress systems. Understanding that relationship could inform complementary strategies in treatment, prevention and health promotion. Click here to visit the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry website.
Change Not for the Fainthearted, Professor Fran Baum et al. (2009)
This report in the American Journal of Public Health examines how health care systems could be reoriented towards achieving great health equity if action was taken on the social determinants of health. Click here to visit the American Journal of Public Health website.
Social vaccines to resist and change unhealthy social and economic structures, Professor Fran Baum et al. (2009)
The term "social vaccine" was coined to encourage a biomedically-oriented health sector to recognise the legitimacy of action on the distal social and economic determinants of health. It is hoped that the term will assist the health promotion movement in arguing for a social view of health which is often counter to medical and popular conceptions of health. Click here to visit the Health Promotion International website.
