Principles of Public Health. Social Determinants of Health.

SLO2.Discuss the principles of Public Health and its role in improving health status of communities and populations from a local and global perspective.
SLO3.Describe the social determinants of health, identify patterns of vulnerability and inequality within communities as they relate to health outcomes.
SLO4. Describe the social determinants of health, identify patterns of vulnerability and inequality within communities as they relate to health outcomes.

Instructions:
 Students are provided with the health promotion initiative ‘Strong Fathers, Strong
Families’ (SFSF). This program was an Australian Government initiative that aimed to
promote the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fathers, partners,
grandfathers and uncles, and encourage them to actively participate in their children’s
and families’ lives, particularly in the antenatal period and early childhood
development years.
 Students will explore the aims and objectives of this program to identify the ‘social
determinants of health’ (SDoH) that the program is targeting. Students will provide a
detailed account that describes how targeting these SDoH will improve the health of
this population group.
 It is expected that students will read the project thoroughly to identify at least three
areas from the social, cultural, political, economic and environmental areas (SDoH) of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life that is being targeted.
 Students will then search through the document provided and complete their own
research for further information and write a 1000 word (+/- 10%) report that clearly
and concisely explains how participants in the project will see improved health in
themselves, their families and their community.
An example of information required:
1. Identify three specific social determinants; ie. housing, education, employment, sense
of identity
2. Identify the target population group (the participants) of this particular part of the
project; older men, young adults, fathers
3. List some of the activities that participants were involved in as part of this program;
i.e. cooking classes, music and dance activities including didgeridoo playing
4. Then explain how working on this social determinant will impact on the health of this
group and the community. This section will require further research to provide
evidential support and strength to the student’s opinion.
For example, when young Aboriginal men participate in cooking classes they learn
about nutrition and healthy eating. This, in turn leads to improved nutrition and diet
for his family. By improving the nutritional status of his children they will have less
absent days from school, improving their literacy and numeracy skills. The greater
impact is addressing the issue of low literacy levels in this population group.

For your written work, it is recommended that you follow these steps:
1. Analyse the question and identify the aims of the work;
2. Brainstorm and draft a first plan;
3. Conduct the necessary reading/research;
4. Further plan the essay or report structure;
5. Write a first draft;
6. Reflect on and get feedback on the first draft;
7. Revise the first draft;
8. Check the final draft for both content and referencing;
9. Submit the assignment.
All work must be substantiated, this means acknowledging the sources of your information
to avoid plagiarism.