This annual report - Taranaki District Health Board

Fletcher M & Dwyer M. 2008. A Fair Go For All Children: Actions to address child poverty in New Zealand.Wellington: Office of the Children's Commissioner. http://www.occ.org.nz/home/childpoverty/the_reportThis report, commissioned by the Children’s Commissioner and Barnardos, summarises the level and distribution ofchild poverty in New Zealand. It reviews the consequences of child poverty, including the effects on child health,development, educational achievement and long term outcomes, and the cost to society including extra spending onservices for preventable problems and long term costs of reduced economic capacity resulting from failure of individualsto reach their potential. A large number of proposals for action are identified including: giving children a good start (suchas improving access to primary care and early childhood education and improving educational outcomes for youngmothers); supporting parents to work (including improvements in paid parental leave and affordable out-of-schoolservices); ensuring an adequate income for all families with children; and setting goals and measurable targets.Other Relevant International EvidenceMacintyre S. 2007. Inequalities in Health in Scotland: What are they and what can we do about them. Glasgow:MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit. http://www.sphsu.mrc.ac.uk/reports/OP017.pdfThis report considered the basis for social inequalities in health and the current evidence for interventions andstrategies to address them. It examined the characteristics of policies which are likely to be effective in reducinginequalities including structural changes in the environment: (e.g. traffic calming, installing heating in damp coldhouses); legislative and regulatory controls (e.g. drink driving legislation, house building standards); fiscal policies (e.g.increase price of tobacco and alcohol products); income support (e.g. tax and benefit systems); reducing price barriers(e.g. free prescriptions, school meals); improving accessibility of services (e.g. location and accessibility of primaryhealth care); prioritising disadvantaged groups (e.g. multiply-deprived families and communities); offering intensivesupport (e.g. home visiting, good quality pre-school day care); and starting young (e.g. pre and post natal support preschoolday care). The report identifies potential for competition between the goals of producing aggregate health gainand reducing inequalities.Marmot M, et al. 2010. Fair Society, Health Lives: The Marmot Review. London: The Marmot Review.http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/projects/fair-society-healthy-lives-the-marmot-reviewThis is the final report of the Marmot Review, an independent review set up at the request of the UK Secretary of Statefor Health to propose the most effective evidence-based strategies for reducing health inequalities in England from2010. The extensive report identifies a number key messages including: reducing health inequalities is a matter offairness and social justice; there is a social gradient in health, action should focus on reducing the gradient; healthinequalities result from social inequalities, action on health inequalities requires action across all the social determinantsof health; focusing solely on the most disadvantaged will not reduce health inequalities sufficiently, reducing thegradient requires universal action, but with a scale and intensity that is proportionate to the level of disadvantage(proportionate universalism); action taken to reduce health inequalities has economic benefits; fair distribution of health,wellbeing and sustainability are important than economic growth and tackling inequalities in health and tackling climatechange must go together. The report identifies six policy objectives to reduce inequalities, for which priority objectivesand policy recommendations are made:1. Give every child the best start in life2. Enable all children young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives3. Create fair employment and good work for all4. Ensure healthy standard of living for all5. Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities6. Strengthen the role and impact of ill health preventionThe report found that delivering these policy objectives requires action across sectors and national policies requireeffective local delivery systems focused on health equity in all policies, and effective local delivery requires effectiveparticipatory decision-making at the local level.Note: The publications listed above were identified using the search methodology outlined in Appendix 1Child Poverty and Living Standards - 65