The Impact of Health Centres in Brisbane on some Community Health Factors

In this study, the goals of the Australian Community Health Program were identified and operationalised. Measures of the communities' health were obtained before and after the health centres came into operation. A population from a comparison area in which community health centre services were not available is also examined. The findings fail to support the view that Brisbane community health centres influence community symptom levels. Further, there is no evidence that health centre activities have produced a decline in medical service utilisation. Stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates appear unaltered. Hospital admission rates declined in one intervention area but continued to increase in both the comparison and, at a lower rate, in the other intervention area. The apparent lack of impact of community health centres in Brisbane may, in part, be attributed to political and structural factors which have limited the number and range of intervention programs. Thus it cannot be assumed that these findings reflect upon the Community Health Program as a whole, but they do indicate that in some centres the Program may fail to address adequately some community health needs. 1981 Public Health Association of Australia