2010 AHPA Conference Call for Abstracts
Introduction
The Conference Organising Committee aims to deliver a conference that meets the need of health promotion practitioners and their partners both within and outside the health sector, who collectively have significant influence on the health outcomes for all Australian’s.
The focus of the conference will be on the determinants of health, with a strong emphasis on the social determinants of health along with solutions to strengthen action to address them. The report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health demonstrated how social factors directly shape health outcomes and explain health inequities. The report stressed the need to tackle the leading causes of ill-health at their roots, going beyond encouraging individuals to change their behaviour.
Abstract Submission
The Australian Health Promotion Association invites you to submit an abstract that addresses one or more of the Conference sub-themes. The overall theme of the conference is Health Promotion and Determinants of Health: Strengthening Action. The specific sub-themes are as follows:
Conference Sub themes
The determinants of health can be explored by using the ‘upstream, midstream, and downstream’ framework. In order to comprehensively tackle health inequalities, efforts need to simultaneously focus on these three distinct yet strongly interconnected factors.
Upstream factor determinants influencing health
The upstream (or macro-level) factors include international influences, government policies, and the social, physical, economic and environmental determinants of health. The framework identifies social, physical, economic and environmental factors as being the most fundamental determinants of health. These include a range of interrelated factors such as education, employment, occupation and working conditions, income, housing, and the early years of life. The framework also indicates that these fundamental determinants are themselves influenced by even more upstream factors, namely, government policies and factors associated with globalization.
Midstream factor determinants influencing health
The midstream (or intermediate-level) factors include psychosocial factors, health-related behaviours and the role played by the health care system. The social, physical, economic and environmental contexts that we occupy throughout the life-course are seen in the framework to influence health either indirectly via psychosocial processes (i.e. control, stress, demand-strain, depression and self-esteem, hopelessness, social support and networks, isolation and marginalisation) and health behaviours (i.e. food and nutrition, smoking, physical activity, alcohol, self-harm, preventative health care use). The health care system also plays some part in determining the extent of socioeconomic health inequalities within a society.
Downstream factor determinants influencing health
The downstream (or micro-level) factors include changes to physiological systems (i.e. endocrine and immune) and biological functioning (i.e. hypertension, blood lipid levels, and body mass index) brought about as a consequence of the influence of factors operating at the midstream and upstream levels. There is now a growing body of evidence which suggests that the poorer health profile of disadvantaged social groups is due in part to more sustained and/or longer-term adverse changes to physiological and biological functioning which are brought about by poorer psychosocial health and more harmful health-related behaviours.
Actions to Close the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Determinants of Health
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in this country still do not have equal access to primary health care or to the infrastructure that can promote healthy living that all other Australians take for granted. We know that there are a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health promotion initiatives and success stories that are not often shared. Most attention goes to the problems and not the solutions that have been generated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This stream focuses on upstream, mid-stream and downstream factors where innovative and targeted programs continue to address the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander determinants of health to help Close the Gap. This stream gives opportunities to showcase these very successful programs and projects.
International and global health
This stream will focus on international and global research, programs or projects that aim to address the upstream, midstream or downstream determinants of health.
Program Structure – Opportunities to Contribute
The Program Committee offers a range of ways you can contribute to the conference. Individuals may consider:
- Submitting an abstract for an oral or poster presentation. A range of oral presentation styles are available to suit varied audiences.
- Submit a symposium of oral presentations. This provides an opportunity for you to work with your colleagues or partners to demonstrate your collective achievements on a specific topic or a specific project.
- Co-ordinating a one hour workshop at the conference. This is a chance for you to utilise your knowledge and networks to deliver a session.
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