Evidence, equity and health: contemporary issues in the Australian public health arena and lessons from abroad

This thesis seeks to examine a number of issues surrounding evidence, equity and health in the contemporary Australian public health arena, using cardiovascular disease and its determinants as the principal case studies. Additionally, it uses a novel epidemiological study from Finland to learn lessons from abroad. The eight case studies presented in this portfolio include in-depth examination of health associations with several socio-cultural variables: ethnicity, migrant status, residential area socio-economic status, occupation and educational attainment. Many of the findings presented in this thesis have implications for prevention policy and practice and for health surveillance efforts in Australia and beyond.