http://hdl.handle.net/2328/1890 Scholarly work of Flinders staff, organised by department/school. 2013-05-25T18:45:12Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/26785 Title: “Never mind the logic, give me the numbers”: Former Australian health ministers’ perspectives on the social determinants of health Authors: Baum, Frances Elaine; Laris, Paul; Fisher, Matthew; Newman, Lareen Ann; MacDougall, Colin James Abstract: The articulation of strong evidence and moral arguments about the importance of social determinants of health (SDH) and health equity has not led to commensurate action to address them. Policy windows open when, simultaneously, an issue is recognised as a problem, policy formulation and refinement happens and the political will for action is present. We report on qualitative interviews with 20 former Australian Federal, State or Territory health ministers conducted between September 2011 and January 2012 concerning their views about how and why the windows of policy opportunity on the SDH did or did not open during their tenure. Almost all ex-health ministers were aware of the existence of health inequalities and SDH but their complexity meant that this awareness rarely crystalised into a clear problem other than as a focus on high needs groups, especially Aboriginal people. Formulation of policies about SDH was assisted by cross-portfolio structures, policy entrepreneurs, and evidence from reviews and reports. It was hindered by the complexity of SDH policy, the dominance of medical power and paradigms and the weakness of the policy community advocating for SDH. The political stream was enabling when the general ideological climate was supportive of redistributive policies, the health care sector was not perceived to be in crisis, there was support for action from the head of government and cabinet colleagues, and no opposition from powerful lobby groups. There have been instances of Australian health policy which addressed the SDH over the past twenty five years but they are rare and the windows of opportunity that made them possible did not stay open for long. 2013-04-03T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/26784 Title: A rapid appraisal case study of South Australia's Social Inclusion Initiative Authors: Newman, Lareen Ann; Biedrzycki, Katherine; Patterson, Jan; Baum, Frances Elaine Abstract: This Rapid Appraisal Case Study of South Australia’s Social Inclusion Initiative was undertaken to contribute to the work of the Social Exclusion Knowledge Network (SEKN) of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). The CSDH was established in 2005 by the World Health Organisation to investigate ways in which international, national, regional and local bodies could take action on the social determinants of health. The knowledge networks are one of the main mechanisms by which the CSDH is gathering evidence. This report provides a rapid assessment of the ways in which South Australia’s Social Inclusion Initiative has originated and operated. The report’s layout follows guidelines developed by the SEKN and draws on documentary and interview evidence. The project was conducted between March and June 2007 by researchers at Flinders University of South Australia, in conjunction with senior staff at South Australia’s Social Inclusion Unit, Department of the Premier and Cabinet. South Australia is a State within a federal system of government and has a population of 1.6 million. The population’s average health and well-being are high by world standards but the State continues to record significant levels of inequality for certain groups and areas, and particularly for its Aboriginal population. 2007-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/26783 Title: Teachers’ knowledge and confidence for promoting positive mental health in primary school communities Authors: Askell-Williams, Helen; Lawson, Mike Joseph Abstract: This paper reports an investigation into Australian primary school teachers’ knowledge and confidence for mental health promotion. Questionnaires were delivered to 1397 teachers. In-depth interviews were held with 37 teachers. Quantitative results showed that half to two thirds of teachers felt efficacious and knowledgeable about selected components of mental health promotion. Independent judgments by staff about students’ mental health status concurred with students’ scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in about 75% of cases, indicating a good level of staff awareness about students’ mental health status. Exposure to the KidsMatter Primary mental health promotion initiative was associated with improvements in teachers’ efficacy, knowledge and pedagogy, with small to medium effect sizes. Qualitative analysis indicated that teachers’ subject-matter and pedagogical knowledge were heavily reliant on curriculum resources. Implications of the findings for the implementation of school-based mental health promotion initiatives are discussed. 2013-04-29T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/2328/26782 Title: Are the new General Practitioner Plus centers the correct government response to a lack of pediatric after-hours care for parents? Authors: Parry, Yvonne; Willis, Eileen Mary Abstract: Providing timely and appropriate primary health care after-hours is a major policy issue confronting many Western governments. Increasingly, consumers are seeking care from emergency departments, for health problems that would be better serviced by a primary care professional. Mindful of this issue both State and Federal government in Australia have established and funded General Practice Super Clinics to provide after-hours care in low socioeconomic areas for vulnerable populations. A key policy requirement of funding is the provision of after-hours care. This paper takes a case study of parents seeking after-hours, non-emergency care for their sick child. This study illustrates the way in which GP Super Clinics provide an appropriate response to this issue, but the analysis questions whether or not this can be achieved under the current arrangements. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z