National Women's Health Policy: Scope of Improvement and Impact on Women's Health in Australia

This policy analysis essay examines the National Women's Health Policy in Australia, focusing on its scope of improvement and impact on women's health. It discusses the priorities of the policy, the health issues faced by women, and the social determinants of health. The essay also highlights the stakeholders and the proposed solution for addressing women's health issues.

Policy Analysis Essay
1

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................5
2

INTRODUCTION
Health of people is highly important for the individual as well as their nation too. Countries
now a day’s developing range of health policies with the motive of improving the present
conditions or the weak areas through which an individual is going through. It has also been
analysed that if the nation is having strong health care policy then they can more faster as
compared to the another nations who are not having this much level of effectual healthcare
policies (Herstad and et. al., 2015). Australian government is highly concentrated towards the
health condition of its whole population. In this regard they simply develop several health
policies for the citizen so that they can live healthy and safe life in the nation. In the present
report, National Women’s Health Policy will be analysed in detailed manner with the motive of
determining the scope of improvement so that required measure can be taken by the Australian
government in order provide better lifestyle to citizen.
MAIN BODY
National Women’s health policy has been developed with the motive of improvising health
condition and well beings of the women in Australia. Here, the main focus of the Australian
government is to help out women with the poor health condition and no one is available to care
for them (Kroon, Ravel and Huston, 2018). The passing time has enhanced encouragement of
women towards the their own health that have resulted in the increase in participation in the
activities which ultimately improves their health conditions and motivates them to adopt better
life style which is healthy for them. The respective health policy that is National Women Health
policy has two main priorities. The first one among them is to maintenance and development of
health services those results in avoiding health issues (Eliason and et. al., 2015). The overall
influence of these programs can be seen in the form of reduction in number of health issues in
the coming next two decades. Another priority is emphasising on addressing health associated
inequalities which can be managed effectively by resolving social determinant of health.
It has been analysed that women in Australia are acknowledged as the major proportion of
formal and informal health care of the nation. These women mainly take care of their children
and family so that they can their family could live better life that is completely free from the
health issues (Hamberger, Rhodes and Brown, 2015). While doing so in the appropriate manner
these women simply avoid their own health condition. This is acknowledged as the main
3

problem that has been seen in Australia for which the respective policy has been developed.
Along with this, it has also been seen that Australian women’s are not concentrated towards their
health as they are not prioritizing it in comparison of men. Also, these women are not actively
taking part in the promotional event which ensures they will get an idea about the health issues
which are mainly faced by women in Australia. In addition to this, it also supports women in
developing their understanding over the core ways by which they can overcome the health issues
by taking rightful treatment towards the same (Cooper and et. al., 2016) In this regard,
government of Australia are conducting more and number of programs through which they can
easily encourage women to develop their knowledge over these health issues so that they can
take rightful measure towards the same by which influence of disease could be minimised in
appropriate form. Apart from this, another .motive of incorporating this Policy that is National
Women Health Policy to address other health issues among women like chronic diseases such as
cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and others which are mainly developed due to
increasing obesity, physical inactivity, and consumption of alcohol as well as tobacco. In
addition to this, it is also supportive in recovering mental health and well being especially
targeting the cases related to the depression, anxiety and suicide (Prather and et. al., 2016).
Along with this, it has also been analysed that this policy is supportive in addressing range of
issue disability, dementia, musculo-skeletal condition and other environmental condition that are
affecting women at old age. However, it is also supportive in covering area that includes
maternal health of ladies, sexual health, pre and post pregnancy health issues that could affect
their health condition in negative manner (Cavuoto and Kinsella, 2016). In addition to this, it
also provides them knowledge about their own health as well as their children health too.
Along with this, it has been later analysed that while formulating these policies government
has included range of sub polices within it so that the entire problem could be addressed in
appropriate manner. Here, the main assumption made the government towards this was that that
each and every women of Australia will actively participate in it and their improved health
condition will contribute in the development of the nation in appropriate manner (Brown and et.
al., 2015). In addition to this, it has been further analysed developed knowledge on the several
health issues which have been ignored women from the past but are not focusing on it due to
their busy lifestyle. So by having appropriate knowledge on it appropriate decision can be taken
by health care practitioners over the same.
4

The main target of National Women Health Policy is on the women of Australia who are
not focused on their health condition. The other stakeholders who have been determined in this
policy are close friends, relatives and family member of Women living Australia.
In addition to this, it has been later analysed that there is very complicated relationship
between the social determinants and physical health of the individual (Duffy and et. al., 2017).
Thus, incorporation of this policy within Australia will emphasises on importance social
determinants over the women’s lives. The main social determinant included in National
Women’s health policy are specified as below in detailed manner:
Sex and gender: This is determined as the main determinant associated with the health
and well being (Mishra and et. al., 2016). This main focus of this determinant is to increase
access of women’s towards the health associated services as well as information.
Life Stages: This determinant simply reflects that health associated needs and
requirements of women are different from one another and also varies at different level of life
stages. On the basis of information received from past 20 years data it can be said that health
risks are different for women belonging to different stages of life cycle. For instance: women
belonging to initial stage of life cycle that girls will recover more quickly as compared to the
lady who belongs to the age of 60 or above. Thus, it is highly important for the medical
practitioners to focus on providing treatment to women according their health condition or the
stage to which she belongs too.
Access to resources: Another determinant of National Women Health Policy is related to
resources that are required to be accessed by the women effectively. Main resources that must be
accessed by women are income, education, employment, social connections and safety and
security and many other things that could place higher influence over the health condition of the
women or to the resources that must be accessed by them in appropriate manner (Peters and et.
al., 2016). Appropriate access to these resources simply improves the level of treatment which is
taken by women’s in their non healthy health condition. In addition to this, it will also reduce
number of health issues that are increasing day by day within Australia.
Diversity: Discrimination is acknowledged as another determinant that plays essential
role in the growth of women as they are placing impact over their health and well being. It has
also been seen discrimination performed with the women in form of gender could simply place
5

major influence over their access to the resource that will further place impact over their health
and wellbeing in the near future.
On the basis of overall information developed in the above section, it has been analysed
that many of the social groups have provided their support with the motive of effective
incorporation of this policy within UK so that they can easily contribute their proportion of share
with the motive of providing better lifestyle to person in appropriate manner (Abers and
Tatagiba, 2016). Along with this, for implementing it in more effective manner there have been
several initiative developed by the government for enhancing active participation of the women’s
in the programs. In addition to this main preferences have been provided to the interest of the
women in the policy as its main motive is to address problems related to the women in terms of
health conditions. The main motivation that has influenced the interest of the stakeholders is the
creation of better place for the women to live where they can easily focus on their own health
issues. Along with this, these women also has detailed knowledge on the health areas or the
emerging issues which have been developing so fastly in the Australia that must be focused by
them so that they can remain free from it without any sort of error.
On the basis of the overall information developed from this, it has been analysed that the
proposed solution for the health issue among women is the incorporation of the National Women
Health Policy that will ultimately help them out in reducing number of health issues in Australia
(Graham, 2015).
. Also, developed knowledge over the health issues among women will help them in living better
life that would free from health issues. Currently these policies have been implemented
effectively in Australia as women are having more knowledge on their personal health problems.
It can be further said that these knowledge will also support them in recovering soon in quicker
manner.
CONCLUSION
On the basis overall information developed from the above report, it can be said that health
is determined as the most important priority of every nation. In order to maintain the health state
of the citizen. It has been identified that it is highly important for Australian government to focus
on improvising the women health policy in order to support them in developing the level of
lifestyle that is lived by them. In addition to this, incorporation of this health policy will
ultimately support women of Australia to focus on their weak health condition and improvise
6

their health condition in appropriate manner. In addition to this, it has been further analysed that
government is required to conduct regular based research so that they can develop their
understanding over the weak areas that will ultimately support them in developing the policy as
per the requirement of the time. Along with this, it will also influence interest of women towards
their own health as they are getting information regarding the same through range of promotion
made by the government towards the National Women Health Policy in adequate manner.
7

REFERENCE
Books and Journals
Abers, R. N., & Tatagiba, L. (2016). Institutional activism: mobilizing for women’s health from
inside the Brazilian bureaucracy. In Social movement dynamics (pp. 72-101).
Routledge.
Peters, S. A., Woodward, M., Jha, V., Kennedy, S., & Norton, R. (2016). Women's health: a new
global agenda. BMJ global health, 1(3), e000080.
Mishra, G. D., Chung, H. F., Pandeya, N., Dobson, A. J., Jones, L., Avis, N. E., ... & Brunner, E.
(2016). The InterLACE study: design, data harmonization and characteristics across
20 studies on women’s health. Maturitas, 92, 176-185.
Duffy, J. M., Rolph, R., Gale, C., Hirsch, M., Khan, K. S., Ziebland, S., ... & Grobman, W.
(2017). Core outcome sets in women's and newborn health: a systematic
review. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 124(10),
1481-1489.
Brown, R., McNair, R., Szalacha, L., Livingston, P. M., & Hughes, T. (2015). Cancer risk
factors, diagnosis and sexual identity in the Australian longitudinal study of Women's
health. Women's Health Issues, 25(5), 509-516.
Prather, C., Fuller, T. R., Marshall, K. J., & Jeffries IV, W. L. (2016). The impact of racism on
the sexual and reproductive health of African American women. Journal of Women's
Health, 25(7), 664-671.
Cooper, D., Harries, J., Moodley, J., Constant, D., Hodes, R., Mathews, C., ... & Hoffman, M.
(2016). Coming of age? Women’s sexual and reproductive health after twentyone
years of democracy in South Africa. Reproductive health matters, 24(48), 79-89.
Hamberger, L. K., Rhodes, K., & Brown, J. (2015). Screening and intervention for intimate
partner violence in healthcare settings: creating sustainable system-level
programs. Journal of women's health, 24(1), 86-91.
Eliason, M. J., Ingraham, N., Fogel, S. C., McElroy, J. A., Lorvick, J., Mauery, D. R., & Haynes,
S. (2015). A systematic review of the literature on weight in sexual minority
women. Women's Health Issues, 25(2), 162-175.
Kroon, S. J., Ravel, J., & Huston, W. M. (2018). Cervicovaginal microbiota, women's health, and
reproductive outcomes. Fertility and sterility, 110(3), 327-336.
Herstad, L., Klungsøyr, K., Skjaerven, R., Tanbo, T., Forsén, L., Åbyholm, T., & Vangen, S.
(2015). Maternal age and emergency operative deliveries at term: a population− based
registry study among low‐risk primiparous women. BJOG: An International Journal
of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 122(12), 1642-1651.
Cavuoto, M. G., Ong, B., Pike, K. E., Nicholas, C. L., Bei, B., & Kinsella, G. J. (2016).
Objective but not subjective sleep predicts memory in community‐dwelling older
adults. Journal of sleep research, 25(4), 475-485.
Graham, M. (2015). Is being childless detrimental to a woman's health and well-being across her
life course?. Women's health issues, 25(2), 176-184.
8