Power of the people

Influences on decision making

Equity means being fair or treating everyone as equals. There are many factors within Australia that create inequities Inequities

Poor living conditions through things such as housing standards, sanitation and population density may contribute to health inequities Living conditions

A person’s socioeconomic status, wealth and access to resources create health inequities. People with a lower SES die at a younger age and are more likely to suffer from lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer and stroke Socioeconomic status

Occupation A person’s occupation may also be a contributing to SES. People that work in offices are more likely to suffer from stress and diseases associated with sedentary lifestyle People that do manual work are more likely to drink and smoke and suffer from diseases associated with these drugs Occupation

Access and level of education People with access to and a higher level of education tend to have a higher health status. Education levels and SES are closely linked Access and level of education

The greater the access to health care, the greater the health status Education and SES are closely linked Access to health care

Geographical location People who tend to live in cities tend to have greater access to health care, Higher SES and higher levels of education These factors play and important role in the health inequities existing between rural and urban living Geographical location

The government economic and social policies The governments economic and social policies are supposed to reduce health inequities in Australia The gap between the health status of individuals affected by factors already mentioned appears to be widening The government economic and social policies