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Not just a pretty new face

Not just a pretty new face EDITORIALS understand the mechanisms through which health Health Studies, which eventually appeared in October promotion is organised and managed in the public 1977 as the journal of the Australian and New Zea- sector at national, state, area/region and local com- land Society for Epidemiology and Research in Com- munity level. There seems to be a less than straight- munity Health. forward delineation of role, responsibility and Thereafter the journal mirrored the renaissance of accountability which makes the development of strat- Australian public health, with its pages reflecting the egy difficult and its implementation positively progressive improvement and relevance of empirical anarchic at times. This is no doubt the product of a studies. Appreciation of New Public Health prin- healthy federal democracy which I have yet fully to ciples was perhaps a little delayed, but especially after understand-but it also gives messages to outsiders exhortations from Nancy Milio, the new movement’s which indicate poor unity of purpose and a less than Mother Theresa, the situation was rectified. Edi- optimal sense of priority and direction. It may well be torials maintained an admirably objective stance dur- that the current (Macklin) inquiry into health services ing the turbulence of public health reform in the strategy provides an opportunity to achieve better 1980s. They neither contributed to the rise of role delineation, to identify mechanisms for better demonologies nor, in the case of Kerr White, to hagi- integration of health promotion into the health ser- olatry. As reform proceeded and the work of the Bet- vices, and to propose a better structure for del- ter Health Commission unfolded, so did the egation of responsibility and accountability in health authority and confidence with which public health promotion. I look forward to the opportunity to par- writers addressed policy issues. ticipate in these discussions, and to the publication of The promising phase continues as the journal’s the Issue Paper on ‘Preventive services and health mantle falls on the Sydney editorial group which, promotion’. originating from seven major academic or service So there you have it-observations from a partially units in that city, is itself a product of the new positive informed observer. Others would no doubt have trends. chosen different achievements to praise, and differ- The Public Health Association has wisely laid down ent problems to highlight. The editor will welcome broad guidelines for this journal to suit a correspondence! Substantial progress has been made correspondingly broad readership. Given the diffi- in Australia and there is much to be pleased with in culties of ascertaining the precise composition of that health promotion. Building on this start clearly readership, possibly it is best to echo the official defi- remains a very substantial challenge for the 1990s. nition of an Aborigine or Torres Strait Islander- those who identify with public health belong to it. Don Nutbeam One thing is clear: the journal is for a generalist clien- Professor of Public Health (Health Promotion) tele, something of an anachronism in this specialist Department of Public Health age. It has to be interesting, informative, educational University of Sydnqr and reliable (and hopefully also entertaining and occasionally amusing). Arbitrary decisions are References needed to avoid over-specialised content so that 1. Better Health Commission. Looking fmard to better health. readers do not get tangled in logistically over- Vols 1-3. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Ser- vice, 1986. regressed thickets, terrorised by swarms of QALYs, 2. Australian Health Targets and Implementation (Health for lost on the dehumanised plains of grand social the- All) Committee. Health for all Australians. Canberra: Aus- ory, stranded in the branches of a decision tree, sunk tralian Government Publishing Service, 1988. in a Frazerian bog of cultural symbolism or overcome 3. United States Department of Health and Human Services. by holistic fundamentalism. Specialised outlets The 1990 health 4ectives for the nation: mid-course review. Washington, DC: Office of Disease Prevention and Health abound elsewhere and doubtless will arise in Aus- Promotion, 1986. tralia, with health promotion first off the rank. 4. For a useful discussion of alternatives to experimental design This journal has no mandate to consider itself an see: Green L, Lewis FM. Measurement and evaluation in health exclusive mouthpiece for Australian public health- education and health promotion. Palo Alto, Cal.: Mayfield, 1986. not for it the attitude expressed by the only hotels in Hawe P, Degeling D, Hall J. Evaluating health prumotion: a Djoum, Cameroon, one called the Hotel Windsor, health worker’s guide. Sydney: MacLennan 8c Petty, 1990. the other the Hotel Anti-Windsor. This journal’s task is to cover the entire range of public health interests. There is an additional incentive to maintain this role because of the danger, as Dan Nutbeam has noted above (p. 5) that institutional marginalisation may occur if certain strategies are left off the main A new title and layout reflect, to some extent, the agenda. It goes without saying that, if thejournal is to coming of age of modern public health in Australia prosper, it must continue to attract and communi- and also a switch in editorial control from Adelaide to cate excellent material. The new Sydney editorial Sydney. Without doubt, the new-look journal is a group has enthusiastically committed itself to finding tribute to the Adelaide editorial team whose efforts the means to achieve this goal. made Community Health Studies a strong foundation. It was not an easy task-even the beginnings were Charles Kerr difficult. As in Laurence Sterne’s classic, which went Editor on for several desultory chapters before the hero, Department of Public Health Tristram Shandy, was born, so it was with Community University of Sydney 6 AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 1991 VOL. 15 NO. 1 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Wiley

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
"Copyright © 1991 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company"
ISSN
1326-0200
eISSN
1753-6405
DOI
10.1111/j.1753-6405.1991.tb00003.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

EDITORIALS understand the mechanisms through which health Health Studies, which eventually appeared in October promotion is organised and managed in the public 1977 as the journal of the Australian and New Zea- sector at national, state, area/region and local com- land Society for Epidemiology and Research in Com- munity level. There seems to be a less than straight- munity Health. forward delineation of role, responsibility and Thereafter the journal mirrored the renaissance of accountability which makes the development of strat- Australian public health, with its pages reflecting the egy difficult and its implementation positively progressive improvement and relevance of empirical anarchic at times. This is no doubt the product of a studies. Appreciation of New Public Health prin- healthy federal democracy which I have yet fully to ciples was perhaps a little delayed, but especially after understand-but it also gives messages to outsiders exhortations from Nancy Milio, the new movement’s which indicate poor unity of purpose and a less than Mother Theresa, the situation was rectified. Edi- optimal sense of priority and direction. It may well be torials maintained an admirably objective stance dur- that the current (Macklin) inquiry into health services ing the turbulence of public health reform in the strategy provides an opportunity to achieve better 1980s. They neither contributed to the rise of role delineation, to identify mechanisms for better demonologies nor, in the case of Kerr White, to hagi- integration of health promotion into the health ser- olatry. As reform proceeded and the work of the Bet- vices, and to propose a better structure for del- ter Health Commission unfolded, so did the egation of responsibility and accountability in health authority and confidence with which public health promotion. I look forward to the opportunity to par- writers addressed policy issues. ticipate in these discussions, and to the publication of The promising phase continues as the journal’s the Issue Paper on ‘Preventive services and health mantle falls on the Sydney editorial group which, promotion’. originating from seven major academic or service So there you have it-observations from a partially units in that city, is itself a product of the new positive informed observer. Others would no doubt have trends. chosen different achievements to praise, and differ- The Public Health Association has wisely laid down ent problems to highlight. The editor will welcome broad guidelines for this journal to suit a correspondence! Substantial progress has been made correspondingly broad readership. Given the diffi- in Australia and there is much to be pleased with in culties of ascertaining the precise composition of that health promotion. Building on this start clearly readership, possibly it is best to echo the official defi- remains a very substantial challenge for the 1990s. nition of an Aborigine or Torres Strait Islander- those who identify with public health belong to it. Don Nutbeam One thing is clear: the journal is for a generalist clien- Professor of Public Health (Health Promotion) tele, something of an anachronism in this specialist Department of Public Health age. It has to be interesting, informative, educational University of Sydnqr and reliable (and hopefully also entertaining and occasionally amusing). Arbitrary decisions are References needed to avoid over-specialised content so that 1. Better Health Commission. Looking fmard to better health. readers do not get tangled in logistically over- Vols 1-3. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Ser- vice, 1986. regressed thickets, terrorised by swarms of QALYs, 2. Australian Health Targets and Implementation (Health for lost on the dehumanised plains of grand social the- All) Committee. Health for all Australians. Canberra: Aus- ory, stranded in the branches of a decision tree, sunk tralian Government Publishing Service, 1988. in a Frazerian bog of cultural symbolism or overcome 3. United States Department of Health and Human Services. by holistic fundamentalism. Specialised outlets The 1990 health 4ectives for the nation: mid-course review. Washington, DC: Office of Disease Prevention and Health abound elsewhere and doubtless will arise in Aus- Promotion, 1986. tralia, with health promotion first off the rank. 4. For a useful discussion of alternatives to experimental design This journal has no mandate to consider itself an see: Green L, Lewis FM. Measurement and evaluation in health exclusive mouthpiece for Australian public health- education and health promotion. Palo Alto, Cal.: Mayfield, 1986. not for it the attitude expressed by the only hotels in Hawe P, Degeling D, Hall J. Evaluating health prumotion: a Djoum, Cameroon, one called the Hotel Windsor, health worker’s guide. Sydney: MacLennan 8c Petty, 1990. the other the Hotel Anti-Windsor. This journal’s task is to cover the entire range of public health interests. There is an additional incentive to maintain this role because of the danger, as Dan Nutbeam has noted above (p. 5) that institutional marginalisation may occur if certain strategies are left off the main A new title and layout reflect, to some extent, the agenda. It goes without saying that, if thejournal is to coming of age of modern public health in Australia prosper, it must continue to attract and communi- and also a switch in editorial control from Adelaide to cate excellent material. The new Sydney editorial Sydney. Without doubt, the new-look journal is a group has enthusiastically committed itself to finding tribute to the Adelaide editorial team whose efforts the means to achieve this goal. made Community Health Studies a strong foundation. It was not an easy task-even the beginnings were Charles Kerr difficult. As in Laurence Sterne’s classic, which went Editor on for several desultory chapters before the hero, Department of Public Health Tristram Shandy, was born, so it was with Community University of Sydney 6 AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 1991 VOL. 15 NO. 1

Journal

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public HealthWiley

Published: Mar 1, 1991

There are no references for this article.