Assoc Professor Gary Misan, Spencer Gulf Rural Health School, A joint initiative of the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide Funding: Supported by the PHCRED Strategy Team members: Dr Elizabeth Hoon, John Petkov, Elena Rudnik, Helen Mills, Melissa Koch

Health is about more than genetic and biomedical factors. Other determinants of health – where we live, work and play, our education, income, socio-cultural factors, access to health care, transport, fresh food, and basic public health infrastructures – have a profound impact on physical as well as mental health.

Health policy increasingly recognises the importance of these determinants of health for individual communities, yet the health needs of rural communities are not completely understood and community perceptions are not often explored.

By investigating the perceptions of community members in four small South Australian rural communities, this project found communities had a clear understanding of the broader determinants of health and their significance.

They identified a number of community concerns regarding social, economic, environmental and other health determinants. Insight into community health perceptions is relevant to informing a range of government, health, industry and community activities and services. A process that supported community discussion, determination of priorities for action and possible solutions has been implemented as a result of this research. The research design and findings have already found their way into draft policy documents of the Regional Advisory Council and served as a template for data collection in other jurisdictions.

This research is an exemplar model of community engagement. Researchers were partners with local health and community members in the planning and conduct of the research.