Assessment Instructions
Your written submission for assignment one will be situated within a LOCAL Australian community and provides the background for a health problem statement. This will inform your development of a comprehensive
Population Health Profiles of Local Government Areas
For more information on LOCAL area profiles, please visit:
• List of South Australia metropolitan and regional Local Government Area profile in PDF format,
https://atlasesaustralia.au/LGASA/LGA_PH_Act_List.html .
1. Local Australian community geographical location (in less than 50 words)
In this section you need to:
a. identify and name a LOCAL Australian community
b. briefly state the LOCAL Australian community geographical location.
Note: to improve your success in this course, the teaching team recommend for you to choose an Australian local government area (council or shire) or your local health network in which you currently reside or are intending to relocate to once registered.
Regardless, it does require to be located within Australia.
2. Identifying and analysing of the health problem (summarise in approximately 400 words)
In this section you need to:
a. Identify a health problem which is in a LOCAL Australian community geographical location.
b. Undertake an analysis using current population and/or community health data:
How common or widespread (prevalence) is this health problem in the LOCAL Australian community compared with
o other Australian state and/or territories,
o national or global locations and
o what is known about the health problem from contemporary public health and/or nursing research and evidence based perspective?
3. Identifying and defining the target population group (summarise in approximately 150 words)
In this section you need to:
a. Identify and define who in the LOCAL Australian community is most affected or impacted by the chosen health problem? For example, consider population groups, vulnerable groups, ethnic and cultural groups; age group or gender etc.
b. Summarise how many of the define target population group/s are affected or impacted by this health problem, for example the total number of cases of health problem existing in the LOCAL Australian community.
4. Defining the causes of the causes (summarise in approximately 450 words)
In both of the following sections you will also need to use population and/or community health data to:
4.1. Individual or contributing factors causing the target group/s health problem.
a. identify and analyse within the target group/s what are the MOST dominant individual or contributing factors causing the health problem.
Note: Individual or contributing factors are known as health risks, exposures and behaviours/lifestyle factors that directly contributed to the health problem i.e., disease, condition, illness or injury; for example, poor diet, smoking and inactivity is associated with many chronic conditions.
4.2. Determinants of health of a LOCAL Australian community which is influencing the target group/s health problem.
a. identify and analyse the identified LOCAL Australian community and target group/s determinants of health (social, economic and environmental factors) which is having the greatest influence on health and are the root cause of that target group/s health problem and status.
Note: Determinants of health (social, economic and environmental factors) are the root cause of health problems and status such as: access to affordable healthy foods, income and social status, housing and transportation, safe community, discrimination and racism to the community’s geographical location and environments which also referred to as where people live, work, play and learn every day.
5. State what are the issues faced by the target group/s in relation to how they can access health care (summarise in approximately 200 words)
In this section you will need to:
a. Apply Levesque et al. (2013) conceptual framework of access to health care (available in the e-readings), and
b. State the factors that may be affecting the target group’s ability to reach out for support by also considering the five (5) A’s in healthcare delivery.
6. State the partnership opportunities (summarise in approximately 200 words)
In this section you need to consider
a. Who the nurse could partner and to work with on addressing this health problem, in your response list a minimum of
o TWO (2) partners from WITHIN the health sector and system.
o TWO (2) partners from OTHER sectors, these partners MUST be OUTSIDE of the health sector and system.
b. Briefly state the purpose/rationale and the partnership level of collaborating and/or partnering with each partner or stakeholder.
Note: Partners can be either people, team(s) or organisation(s), and sectors which are outside the health sector and system are local government, industry, education, ageing, law and justice, transport to the human services such as employment, disability, housing and community supports etc.
7. State the health problem statement (in less than 50 words)
In this section you need to write a concise and short statement which outline the following: what, who, how much, when and where.
Where do you find big picture (national) population and health data?
There are multiple places in which you can gain population health and wellbeing data, this course will highlight a few sources, but you may wish to search or find more to support your learning, with five example have been listed below:
1. Australian Bureau of Statistics
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
3. Social Health Atlases of Australia by Public Health Information Development
4. Australia’s Health Tracker Series
5. Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation series
Where do you find more LOCAL population and health data?
1. SA Health – Health Statistics
2. Primary Health Networks: community health needs assessment
3. Population Health Profiles of Local Government Areas