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Social equity is the key to effective public health

Social equity is the key to effective public health Katie A. Coles PhD student, University of Western Australia We will always disagree on matters of value in public health. What matters to one person differs from the next. Our values are the product of our family, history and environment. A satisfactory outcome for any particular group requires insider knowledge of the needs of that group, and the skills of a professional to be applied to the problem. The power of the public health sector is its ability to focus on the identified problems and to mobilise collective resources towards a solution. Our weakness lies in that we do not have sufficient ‘insider knowledge’ to identify the needs. Recently, I was chatting with a fellow student, who has diabetes, about how little funding there is for scientific research. He stopped me mid-spiel and pointed out that however little funding there is for this type of medical research, there is even less money spent to help diabetics live as full a life as possible. “I need research done to find out how I, as a diabetic, can deal with everyday life better. It is too late, for me, to prevent this disease.” As a young person, he felt that his needs were not being met, he wasn’t being heard and nobody was interested in listening. How do we know we are asking the right questions if we haven’t walked in their shoes? Those people who perhaps need the most are the least likely to express that need, especially to public health professionals whom they feel can not understand their position. Powerful interests will always be heard, while the disempowered will remain silent and their needs will not be met. Indigenous Australians, young people, the elderly and migrants are some of the groups under-represented in the system, because their voices are often quiet or not listened to. I think it is not surprising that people feel inherent distrust in an institution that is not representative of the community groups it is attempting to service. Inequity breeds distrust in institutions. The rich and powerful feel safer within the system, and are therefore more able to have their voices heard and their needs met. The means of bettering the health of many Australians is not through more and more technology, but through ensuring that the basic needs of all are met. Providing an environment where people feel they can express their needs is important. This is more than a struggle just for health, but for social equity. Public health: just processes? Megan Black MPH student, University of Sydney, New South Wales Reference 1. Mann JM. AIDS and human right: where do we go from here? Health and Human Rights. 1998; 3(1): 143-9. As public health increasingly accepts the dominant politicoscientific ideology, I too am concerned that the deprived in our society are being insidiously forgotten. Individualistic cures will not solve the problems of social structure, social disintegration and lack of social capital. When market forces and individualism predominate, public 2000 VOL. 24 NO. 2 AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Wiley

Social equity is the key to effective public health

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References (2)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2000 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
1326-0200
eISSN
1753-6405
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-842X.2000.tb00128.x
Publisher site
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Abstract

Katie A. Coles PhD student, University of Western Australia We will always disagree on matters of value in public health. What matters to one person differs from the next. Our values are the product of our family, history and environment. A satisfactory outcome for any particular group requires insider knowledge of the needs of that group, and the skills of a professional to be applied to the problem. The power of the public health sector is its ability to focus on the identified problems and to mobilise collective resources towards a solution. Our weakness lies in that we do not have sufficient ‘insider knowledge’ to identify the needs. Recently, I was chatting with a fellow student, who has diabetes, about how little funding there is for scientific research. He stopped me mid-spiel and pointed out that however little funding there is for this type of medical research, there is even less money spent to help diabetics live as full a life as possible. “I need research done to find out how I, as a diabetic, can deal with everyday life better. It is too late, for me, to prevent this disease.” As a young person, he felt that his needs were not being met, he wasn’t being heard and nobody was interested in listening. How do we know we are asking the right questions if we haven’t walked in their shoes? Those people who perhaps need the most are the least likely to express that need, especially to public health professionals whom they feel can not understand their position. Powerful interests will always be heard, while the disempowered will remain silent and their needs will not be met. Indigenous Australians, young people, the elderly and migrants are some of the groups under-represented in the system, because their voices are often quiet or not listened to. I think it is not surprising that people feel inherent distrust in an institution that is not representative of the community groups it is attempting to service. Inequity breeds distrust in institutions. The rich and powerful feel safer within the system, and are therefore more able to have their voices heard and their needs met. The means of bettering the health of many Australians is not through more and more technology, but through ensuring that the basic needs of all are met. Providing an environment where people feel they can express their needs is important. This is more than a struggle just for health, but for social equity. Public health: just processes? Megan Black MPH student, University of Sydney, New South Wales Reference 1. Mann JM. AIDS and human right: where do we go from here? Health and Human Rights. 1998; 3(1): 143-9. As public health increasingly accepts the dominant politicoscientific ideology, I too am concerned that the deprived in our society are being insidiously forgotten. Individualistic cures will not solve the problems of social structure, social disintegration and lack of social capital. When market forces and individualism predominate, public 2000 VOL. 24 NO. 2 AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Journal

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health – Wiley

Published: Apr 1, 2000

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