Identifying Priority Areas

(SPC - SPPPC - Social justice principles, Potential for change, Priorty population groups, Prevalence, Costs to the individual & community)

Social Justice Principles

Social Justice is a value that favours measures that aim at decreasing or eliminating inequity; promoting inclusiveness and diversity; and establishing environments that are supportive of all. (PDHPE Syllabus, 1999)

Social Justice is a measure that facilitates equity.

This involves 4 principles

Participation - in planning and making decisions about community health

Equity - fair allocation of resources and entitlements without discrimination

Access - the ability to use a range of health services

Rights - equal opportunity to achieve optimal health

Priority population groups

Priority population groups are groups who have higher rates of morbidity and mortality rates of particular conditions. These include Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders who have higher rates of CVD, Cancer and Diabetes and a much lower life expectancy than other Australians.

Prevalence of the condition

Prevalence refers to the number of current cases of a disease or condition. Epidemiological data can be used to determine what diseases and conditions are most prevalent, which are improving or declining and can be used to determine funding priorities.

Potential for change

 The potential for change is considered when determining priority areas. By allocating resources to focus on a particular disease there needs to be the potential to minimise the extent of that illness. Eg: for cancer if we can get people to stop smoking we can have a big impact on the extent of cancer. This therefore has potential for change.

Costs to Individual

The cost to the individual refers to the physical (pain, discomfort, immobilisation), social (loss of social contact, increased dependance on others, loss of confidence), emotional (stress, depression, mental anguish) and spiritual cost (loss of meaning in life).

Direct Costs: refer to the actual financial cost in relation to the illness. This includes identification and treatment.

Indirect Costs: refers to the total monetary cost realting to loss of productivity and earning and also carers having to take time off work etc.

Costs to community

Cost to the community refers to the direct and indirect costs of a disease or condition to the community. These costs may include

Direct: costs relating to testing, education, health promotion, funding to hospitals for treatment.

Indirect: loss of productivity for companies.