Public Health, Policy and Society

This essay explores the importance of policy for health and example of health policies within Australia. It also covers social determinants of health, Aboriginal Health by Mr. Shed, and social gradient as a basic social determinant of health.

Running head: PUBLIC HEALTH, POLICY AND SOCIETY 1
Public Health, Policy and Society
Student Name
Institution

PUBLIC HEALTH, POLICY AND SOCIETY 2
1. Introduction
A. A brief introduction to public health policy and society
Public health policies are those policies that intend to define procedures and guidelines
that are used to govern or allocate resources towards attainment a particular goal in health. Public
health policy is the interplay of factors such as politics, power and public interest that influence
government allocation of resources to the public. Public policy is a normal product of
government strategic goal intended to better health care with Australia or to a specific
community. Health policies are always intended to a particular society, for instance, indigenous
communities living in Australia. Since coming into office the government of Australia through
the ministry of health has developed many health policies that aim to better service provision,
improve healthcare or target specific disadvantage group of people within Australia. For
instance, one of the public health policies developed through the ministry of health is rural
healthcare policy with focus on indigenous marginal communities such as Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people. The following essay seeks to explore the importance of policy for health
and example of health policies within Australia.
RURAL AND REMOTE HEALTHCARE POLICY
One of the government of Australian health priority include focusing on rural healthcare
initiative that concentrate on marginalized communities such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities (Rickards, 2011). This is due to poor health conditions that these
communities lives in yet currently the government through various healthcare initiative has been
reaching these people in their rural areas. Rural and remote healthcare policy has been the key
pillar for Shed initiative at Mt Druitt and healthcare promotions that are seen across the country.

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Statistics show that there is improvement since the inception of rural and remote healthcare
policy in Australia through the ministry of health (Britnell, 2015). Rural and remote healthcare
policy ensures those communities living within remote areas are reached for the purpose of better
healthcare.
B. What is health
Health refers to the state of competency within the physical, mental and social wellness
without infirmity or disease. According to WHO, health is dynamic conditions arising from body
adaptation and adjusting to the changing environment and stress through maintenance of
equilibrium. This definition gives the relationship between human body and the environment
through interaction. Adapting to changes may be due to challenging physical, mental or social
challenges which in a broad sense leading to health challenges. In this sense, environmental and
body interaction play a critical role in the health status of an individual since the two are related
to socio-economic conditions a phenomenon called Salutogenesis. In addition, dynamic
conditions people live in may include social and economic conditions such as housing,
employment status and access to food or education (Golembiewski, 2012).
Health interaction with the environment
Salutogenesis refers to those factors that encourage or foster wellness and health in an
individual. Salutogenesis may include interacting with things that are part of environment people
live in and highly require proper handling to turn them into good healthy things. For instance, the
way an individual reacts to various factors in the environment one lives in will determines the
wellness and the health status of that individual. This association particularly called health
environment interaction. In addition, health interaction with environment allows those people

PUBLIC HEALTH, POLICY AND SOCIETY 4
especially men to draw nourishing for life from activities they do and the environment they lives
in (Lindmark, Wagman, Wåhlin & Rolander, 2016).
Salutogenesis approach is used to address social determinant of the health of Aboriginal
men in Mt Druitt. Within this community, the environment that these men live has a direct
influence on the health status especially depression leading to death. The characteristic of
environment that Aboriginal men live in has massive cultural influence and this is connected to
the health status of these marginalized men. The cultural influence as an environment interacts
with the living conditions of men leading to health status. The pride that forms the basis of the
culture of Aboriginal men is highly affected by racism, incarceration, job, economic and housing
insecurity leading to depression among men hence increasing the number of suicide (Lindmark,
Wagman, Wåhlin & Rolander, 2016).
2. Social determinants of health
According to WHO social determinants of health refer to life conditions under which
people are born, grow, work or life and contributes to the conditions of their daily life. Some of
the common determinants of health include economic policies and systems, social norms,
development agendas, social policies and political systems. To make it more understandable
WHO further categories this determinant into five categories that include economic stability,
education, social and community context, health and healthcare and neighborhood and built
environment (Pega & Veale, 2015). Firstly, economic stability determines some social
conditions that may include the employment of citizens, housing instability, food insecurity and
poverty level within the society. Secondly, education as a social determinant of health
determines the language literacy, early childhood education, the number of those people

PUBLIC HEALTH, POLICY AND SOCIETY 5
enrolling for higher education. Thirdly, social community context as number three determinant
entails discrimination, civic participation, incarceration and social cohesion within the society
(Pega et al, 2017). Fourthly, health and healthcare as a social determinant of health include
access to healthcare, health literacy and above all access to primary care. Finally, neighborhood
and built environment is listed as the final social determinant and composes of crime and
violence, environmental conditions, quality housing and access to food that support healthy
eating patterns (Bahrer-Kohler, 2012).
Life course perspective
Life course perspective is the strategy that studies the effect of life experience on the
health status of the individual in the society. Life course approach aims at the distribution of
health experience across the lifespan as a way of maintains healthy conditions. Under this
initiative, two factors are focused that include economic and social conditions of life that are key
social determinants of health. Studies of economic and social conditions effect on health show
the correlation of these life factors to certain health disorders witnessed in society today. For
instance, childhood and adulthood economic or social conditions are directly related to some
disorders such as diabetes, especially in adult life. Cumulative effects of course life experience at
particular life stage, for instance, early childhood experience has a high effect on the later date
health status (Raphael, 2010).
3. What is policy and what is health policy
3.1 What is the policy?
Policy can broadly be defined as the principle of action proposed or adopted by the
organization or individuals. The policy is associated with power, politics and public benefits

PUBLIC HEALTH, POLICY AND SOCIETY 6
during resources allocation or decision making. The policy is part of governance and assists in
objective decision making in terms of procedure and protocols used within public organizations.
In this sense, the policy does not restrict behaviors as laws yet policies guide the decision making
and give the direction for implementation of procedures or protocols. The impact of policy can
be felt in two different ways and these are intended effect and unintended effects. Firstly,
intended effects refer to the positive intention that leads to formulate the policy. For instance,
free health policies intend to better healthcare and this is the intended effect once implemented.
Secondly, unintended effects refer to the negative effects of a policy that may arise from
complexity with the area of implementations. For instance, the negative effect of free maternity
policies for the country may lead to a reduction of cost related to maternity within the country
(Raphael, 2014).
3.2 What is health policy?
Health policy generally refers to decisions, actions, and plans that are carried out to
achieve healthcare goals within the community. Health policy can be viewed in terms of roles
played by politics and power. Health policy interacts with numerous factors to contribute to
success or failure of health system within the country. Politics as an ingredient for health policy
massively influence the design, emergence, execution, and evaluation of health policy
(Cummins, 2011). Firstly, politics and power determine processes in health governance of
healthcare facilities. Secondly, politics play a critical role in the development of health policies
within the country. Thirdly, politics also contribute to the evaluation of the health policies and
this is also part of healthcare governance (Kajang, 2015).
3.3 What can policy do improve healthcare

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The role of policy is inevitable within the healthcare of the country contribute greatly to
improve or diminish healthcare. A major focus is based on the role of policy in improving
healthcare. Firstly, policy help aligns healthcare at the top of the priority and this highly
contributes to the improvement of healthcare in terms of resource allocation. Favorable
healthcare policies improve the health of the country (Garathy, Stuart & McNally, 2016). For
instance, government policy that gives health priority to the indigenous communities such as
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander improves health among these marginalized communities.
Secondly, policies streamline the resource use within the healthcare leading to proper utilization
of available resources for the improvement of healthcare. Thirdly, policies determine the health
assessment criteria that is key to improving the effectiveness of healthcare in Australia (Buse,
Mays & Walt, 2012).
4. Aboriginal Health by Mr. Shed
Shed focus on the health status of marginalized or disadvantage men that include men
from indigenous community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. In addition, the
community initiative also considers unemployed men, new dads, separated men, incarcerated
men and those men who are at the risk due to stress in life. These factors highly contribute to
men’s poor health status with others reportedly commit suicide due to stress and depression.
Sheds identify some of the other factors that affect the indigenous men’s health such as
contemporary structural and social factors education, employment, access to service, a social
network connection with land, racism and increasing imprisonment of men from these
communities (Macdonald & Welsh, 2012).

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are selected since they form part of marginalized
men and studies show that among those men committing suicide, indigenous men from these
communities form the largest number. More specifically, Shed tries to address social
determinants of male suicide and these include physical health, mental health, socio-economic
factors, oral health, housing and cultural wellbeing. Firstly, mental health highly contributes to a
large number of depression witnessed in indigenous men leading to suicide. Secondly, housing is
another negative determinant of health among men since indecency housing highly results in
poor health of men in this area (Hicks & Maldonado, 2016). Cultural wellbeing positively affects
men’s life and is associated feeling connected to cultural practices of these indigenous people.
Oral health is another health issue that is addressed in Shed since poor oral health is connected to
discomfort and this makes many men feel stressed up (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
2012).
However, some of the social determinants that lead to better life among those male
include love, meaningful work, and position in society, religious faith and belonging (Berkman
& Kawachi, 2014). Love is one of the ingredients that better the lives of these indigenous
particularly the feeling of being loved and cared for. Position in the society is another element
that highly contributes to the wellness of among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. The
sense of belonging is another critical aspect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander more so
feeling of being part of their culture. In addition, forming part their religious faith is connected to
the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. Finally, meaningful work is also
factors that are lifeline making the life of indigenous men's life better (Macdonald, 2010).
5. Social Gradient: a basic social determinant of health

PUBLIC HEALTH, POLICY AND SOCIETY 9
Social determinants refer to those economic and social conditions and the impact of these
factors in determining an individual or group of individual’s health status. Social determinants
are associated with health outcome and public policy. Some of the basic social determinants of
health are a social gradient, stress, education, early life, social inclusion/exclusion, employment,
income, social support, addiction, transport, and race.
Education is a social determinant of health since education affects the knowledge about
health and poor education is associated with poor health conditions. Secondly, early life and all
the challenges that affect the early life of an individual affect their adult life. Early life
determines the emotional health of the adult. Unemployment is associated with poor health and
premature death since these individuals are unable to resist mental stress connected with
unemployment (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014). Income or earning is another social indicator for
health since income is correlated to health status and socio-economic status of an individual in
the society they live in. Food and nutrition is an important social determinant of health since
malnutrition is connected to poor health while good nutrition attracts good health. Addition to
alcohol and other drugs affected health greatly; these results in poor health of an addict and
results in health inequalities as compared to those do not take illicit drugs. Social exclusion is
connected to poverty in the society and this is due to exclusion in the community resulting in
premature death of many excluded individuals. Stress is another important social determinant of
health since long-term stress is connected to psychological and mental problems that also result
in premature death or poor health in general (Knaus, 2016).
Social gradient

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The social gradient is the inequalities in social status that arise for the social status
difference in the population. According to Braverman, Egerter, and William (2011), an
individual’s social and economic status highly influences their health status in the society. Social
gradient cut across the society and can be classified as most and the list disadvantage in the
health ladder. Health disadvantages are classified as an upper middle disadvantage and lower
middle disadvantage health gradient. Firstly, upper middle disadvantage includes those highly
disadvantage in health throughout the society. The lower disadvantage is individuals that least
disadvantage in health as compared to other grouped within the health social gradient (Simandan,
2018).
Social gradient health disadvantage can also be classified as either absolute or relative in
the society. Firstly, absolute health disadvantage is where individuals have no access to health
education; there is unemployment and poor living condition that contribute to poor health
conditions in the society. Secondly, relative health disadvantage in the society is where an
individual’s has access to poor education, insecure employment, and relatively poor health
conditions. The disadvantage in life may moves according to transition in life gradient within the
society and people are influenced by their past health disadvantage (Council of Civil Service
Union, 2004). For instance, poor childhood economic and social conditions are often associated
with late adulthood health disorders.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, policy plays an important role in governance and resource allocation
within every sector to the government or organization. Health policies are, therefore, statements
of intends that aim at directing the resource allocation and definition of procedures or protocols

PUBLIC HEALTH, POLICY AND SOCIETY 11
used in healthcare provision. There are social determinants of health that are directly or
indirectly related to the health conditions of an individual or a group of individuals. Social and
economic conditions of life are an aspect of life course perspective approach that is used to
determine life disorders. One example of public health policy is rural and remote healthcare
service focusing on marginalized communities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The
environment these people live in determines the health status of these people a phenomenon
called Salutogenesis.
7. Reference
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