Analysis: Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2015-2019 Review

This report reviews the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2015-2019, focusing on its strategies for improving the health of Victoria's residents. It highlights the plan's emphasis on prevention, health promotion, and reducing health inequalities, with specific priorities such as healthier eatin...Read More

Running head: HEALTH PLAN REVIEW
HEALTH PLAN REVIEW
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HEALTH PLAN REVIEW
Introduction:
Health policies are usually developed by both public and private organizations to help in
development of the living condition of people of the nations. It also helps to provide them
knowledge about the strategies that could be implemented to develop high quality life. Health
policies are mainly seen to refer to different decisions, actions, plans as well as strategies which
when undertaken would help in achieving specific health care goals within a society (Nicholson
et al., 2015). Moreover, it also helps to define a vision of the future that in turn has the capability
for establishment of the targets and points of reference for both short as well as medium terms
(Purcell et al., 2015). This assignment will mainly help to review the health policy called the
Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2015-2019 and the ways by which the policy has
planned to develop the health of the people residing in Victoria. One of the care priority are
would also be chosen along with two target groups whose social determinants of health would be
identified for developing their quality of life effectively.
Overview of the policy:
This policy is developed with an aim to develop health vision for the state of Victoria to
make it free from avoidable burden of diseases. This would help the Victorians to enjoy high
attainable standards of health, well being as well as participation of every age. This policy has
been able to set high-level strategic directions for improvement and modification by intruding
stronger focus on three important aspects for outcomes, targets and accountability (Chamberlain
et al., 2017). The policy makers had focused on the prevention as well as health promotion and
health protection along with reduction of health inequalities among the different classes of
people residing in Victoria. The policy has also ensured that within the time of 2025, several

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priorities would be handled with proper strategic implementations. These priorities are healthier
eating and active living, tobacco free living, improving mental health, reduction of harmful drug
use and alcohol consumption, improving sexual as well as reproductive health and preventing
violence as well as injury. The policy has incorporated the importance of addressing the social
determinants of health where they had clearly stated that social, environmental, physical as well
as individual characters shape the way of living experiences of people and play a great role in the
occurrence of disorders and poor quality life (Thrasher et al., 2016). They have also talked about
risk factors and subsequent protective factors that expose and help them to protect themselves
from harmful disorders respectively. The main platforms for modifications that had been focused
in the healthcare plan is healthy and sustainable environments, people centered approaches and
place based approaches besides providing importance to accountability. With the help of the
different approaches, the social determinants of health would be evaluated and steps would be
taken to overcome such barriers and develop high quality life for each of them.
Care priority area and two-target population:
Tobacco smoking is considered to be one of the most important and leading contributors
to the burden of various chronic disorders in the native aboriginals in the nation. Department of
the Prime minister and the cabinet under the Australian government had conducted studies that
have shown that tobacco smoking has contributed to 12% of the diseases burden and 17% to the
gap in the health outcomes between the indigenous as well as non0indiginous Australians
(Pmc.gov.au, 2018). The health impact of smoking can be easily understood from the increasing
number of hospitalization as well as deaths from the different tobacco-related disorders like
chronic lung disorders, different forms of cancer, different cardiovascular disorders and many
others. In the year 2014 to 2015, 39% of the native people over the age of 15 years have been

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seen to be a daily smoker. Although this level shows a decline of about 10% since the time of
2012 and a sincere increase in the number of the native people who never smoked in life, the gap
in smoking rates still remain between the aboriginals and that of the non-aboriginals. Researchers
have shown that the number of aboriginals smoking tobacco is three times higher than the non-
indigenous people who smoke tobacco (Nicholson et al., 2015). The ministry of Health under the
Australian government had put this data forward. From the data put forward by Department of
the Prime minister and the cabinet under the Australian government, it is seen that the two most
vulnerable cohort of being current smokers are the young adults (ranging from age 18 to 24) that
accounts for about 46% in comparison to non aboriginals where the percentage of smokers is
19% (Health.gov.au, 2016). Another important cohort is the age cohort of 25 to 37 years of age
that gives a percentage of smokers to be about 54% in the aboriginal community and 23 %
smokers to that of the non-aboriginal community.
Source: (Health.gov.au, 2016)

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Several reasons have been conducted over years in order to find out the main reasons for
the vulnerable cohorts to develop the habit of smoking. One of the main reasons for their
developing this habit is to alleviate stress that is quite similar to that of the non-aboriginals.
Moreover, researchers are also of the opinion that the main causes of stress are absence of
employment, poor income and financial conditions, housing problems and others. Other cause of
the habit is that the aboriginals take smoking behavior as social norms as many of the smokers
believe that it is one of the best ways to strengthen kinship binds and social relationships
(Tobaccoinaustralia.org.au, 2016). Other causes like smoking being a way to kill boredom,
personal attitude, to curb out appetites for absence of money to buy food were also noted down
in interviews as the cause of developing tobacco-smoking disorder.
Three determinants of health:
Education in the early years is one of the most important social determinants of health
that has the capability to affect the life of an aboriginal individual throughout life. Early
childhood is considered the critical time for human development and provides a foundation for
child’s future life. It has the capability to influence the mastering of skills as well as future
educational and employment opportunities. Lack of proper education including physical,
linguistic, cognitive, social as well as emotional development along with complete lack of health
education is considered to be one of the most important social determinants of health which is
making them vulnerable to develop the smoking behavior (Wright et al., 2017). The aboriginals
have very few ideas about the harmful results of smoking and therefore they tend to adhere to the
habit. Researchers are of the opinion that education affects through a number of different
mechanisms. It influences neural development, health behavior and health literacy, individuals’
sense of empowerment and control. As the early year education and health literacy is not well

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proposed and maintained in the communities of the aboriginals, this might lead to the
development and adherence with the smoking behaviors.
Another important environmental social determinant of health is the improper physical
environments where they live. Many researchers have found out that improper physical
environments like that of the poorly planned housing and improper arrangements for hygiene
result in development of poor quality life for the aboriginals. Moreover, unsafe and limited
opportunities for recreation and limited resources for support communities are seen to encourage
and reinforce high prevalence for smoking as well as undermine the quit attempts. Smoking is
mainly taken as result to coping mechanism of living within a unsafe and unhygienic living
conditions which often remain devoid of important resources for daily living like electricity,
proper sanitation, drainage systems, water supply system and others (Nicholson et al., 2015).
Moreover, many of the researchers have also found out that there is a high concentration of
tobacco outlets in different disadvantaged area. These lead to disparities in smoking prevalence
and make it harder for the individuals to quit smoking. Not only that overcrowding of the people
within a single house and presence of individuals who have smoking disorders also engage other
members to either try out the practices or expose them to second hand smoking and these two
reasons have made the said cohorts more vulnerable to the development of smoking habits.
Researches conducted over the years have shown evidences that provide associations
between genetics and development of smoking behaviors. They have conducted many twin,
family as well as adoption studies that have already shown consistent evidences between for
genetic effects on many aspects of smoking behaviors as well as nicotine dependence. Gene-
environment interactions have been seen where parental monitoring moderates genetic
vulnerability for smoking initiation. One of the few genes identified with nicotine and tobacco

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dependence is the nicotinic receptor alpha 5 gene (CHRNA5) variant. Genetic liability underlies
familiar aggregation and the heritability of smoking behaviors vary from population to
populations (Davey et al., 2015). Smoking status of parents is likely to influence the smoking
behavior in their wards. Victorian students from age 12 to age 15 who have reported to smoke
had also stated that their parents smoked and their numbers are thrice the number of individuals
who themselves never smoked. Researchers also showed that individuals whose parents were
non-smokers were more likely to develop no smoking habits.
Conclusion:
From the entire discussion above, it is seen that Victorian public health and wellbeing
plan 2015-2019 had been successful in identifying the social determinants of health that had been
affecting the life of various classes and races of people all over the state of Victoria. It had
prioritized number of healthcare issues which when treated effectively with proper strategies
would ensure better quality life of the individuals of the state. However, health inequality has
persisted in the nation with one of the example being the native people still having higher rates
of smoking disorder issues in comparison to the non-natives. The main determinants of health
that were identified are the lack of proper education, improper environmental resources and poor
quality living conditions and hereditary factors. If the concerned authorities can handle these
determinants of health effectively, the gap of disease burden between aboriginals and non-
aboriginals can be reduced.

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References:
Chamberlain, C., Perlen, S., Brennan, S., Rychetnik, L., Thomas, D., Maddox, R., ... & Eades, S.
(2017). Evidence for a comprehensive approach to Aboriginal tobacco control to
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P. (2015). Tobacco control policies and activities in Aboriginal community-controlled
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Health.gov.au. (2016). Department of Health | Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) - National
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Nicholson, A. K., Borland, R., Davey, M. E., Stevens, M., & Thomas, D. P. (2015). Predictors of
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Nicholson, A. K., Borland, R., van der Sterren, A. E., Bennet, P. T., Stevens, M., & Thomas, D.
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Pmc.gov.au. (2015). 2.15 Tobacco use | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
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Wright, A., Lovett, R., Roe, Y., & Richardson, A. (2017). Enhancing national data to align with
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