Responding to Health Inequalities in Australia: A Proposed Strategy

Abstract

This paper uses data from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare research on health inequalities to highlight the importance of moving beyond a simple risk factor approach to health promotion, to focus on the broader contextual factors which influence disparities in health within the Australian population. It argues that addressing health inequalities requires a focus on location (geography) and hence a first step in reducing health disparities is to develop national, state, and local health promotion plans.