Work

Inequity Is Our Biggest Killer: Looking Upstream to Tackle the Burden of Disease in Australia

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The burden of disease estimates from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare are influential in driving priorities for actions across research, policy and practice. Following the latest estimates in 2024, much attention focused on top risk factors including obesity, tobacco and diet. Meanwhile, upstream social, economic and political drivers were overlooked. In this perspective, we argue that to effectively move the dial on disease burden, we must shift our focus from downstream action on individual-level risk factors to upstream action on structural causes. Failure to do so represents a missed opportunity to improve population health and tackle health inequity.

Source: The Medical Journal of Australia

DOI: 10.5694/mja2.70119

Authors: Saman Khalatbari‐Soltani, Edward Jegasothy, Seye Abimbola, Anita van Zwieten

Institutions: The University of Sydney, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Public Health and Social Inequalities

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funder: Australian Research Council