Western Parklands

Social Determinants of Health

A Framework

The World Health Organisation defines the social determinants of health as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities.

When considering the social determinants of health, there are several contributing factors to the regions level of disadvantage, including a high population of people born overseas, many people who do not speak English well or at all, higher unemployment levels, and a high number of low-income households.

For many people and families these factors can mean inequitable access to health services and poor health literacy, leading to a higher incidence of health issues and chronic disease. Collective and coordinated effort is then required to address identified needs and support change across health, human services, education, justice and industry sectors. The challenge is to identify the needs and support attention to those determinants and influences that pose a specific risk.

In addition, contemporary issues affecting the environment include drought, bushfire, flood and the Covid-19 pandemic. This has added another layer of social determinants impact for people living across the Western Parkland region.

The Framework

The Western Parklands Social Determinants of Health Framework aims to increase understanding of the social determinants of health and the inequities that often arise within them and recommends points of entry for action that will promote health equity.

The Western Parklands Social Determinants of Health Framework considers three pivotal points that impact health and well-being outcomes and support assessment and determination of the best interventions required. These include:

individual health factors,
daily living conditions and
social, political and cultural contexts.

Each of these points is impacted by the individual’s social position. This are demonstrated within the Western Parklands Social Determinants of Health Framework model.

Purpose

To promote planning strategies and tools that can be applied to make the everyday settings of people’s lives more supportive of healthy outcomes that aim to minimise avoidable and unfair differences in health outcomes.

People in the Western Parkland City will be supported to attain better health outcomes through improved social equity. The member organisations of the Western Sydney Health Alliance will achieve this through collective and coordinated planning approaches that address the social determinants of health.

The Western Parkland region has a diverse and widespread population of approximately 1.5 million people across 8 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Approximately 600,000 people across the region are living in the lowest scoring 20% of NSW indicating significant disadvantage, particularly in areas of Fairfield and Liverpool.

The Western Parklands Social Determinants of Health Framework applies to all partners in the Western Sydney Health Alliance who are planning services, structures, activities and approaches that can be improved to reduce avoidable and unfair differences in health outcomes.