Adaptive Capacity
Indicators
Health & Services
Natural Environment
Policy context
Access to healthcare services is a fundamental protective factor for children and young people.¹ Ready access to hospitals and health services supports timely treatment of acute illness and injury, improves management of chronic conditions, and enables preventive care that reduces long-term health risks.² ³ For children, this means better opportunities for early intervention, vaccination, and ongoing monitoring of developmental and health needs.
Access to green space and natural environments has significant benefits for children’s physical and mental health. Green areas encourage outdoor activity, reduce obesity risk, and support emotional wellbeing by lowering stress and improving mood.⁴ ⁵ ⁶ Vegetation also improves air quality and helps moderate urban temperatures,⁷ reducing the effects of heatwaves on vulnerable children. Research shows that children living in greener neighbourhood's experience better developmental and health outcomes, making these indicators essential for understanding environmental determinants of child wellbeing.⁴
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Health system overview, 2024. [online] Available at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/health-system-overview.
Teutsch, S., Zurynski, Y., Eslick, G.D., Deverell, M., Christodoulou, J., Leonard, H., Dalkeith, T., Johnson, S.L.J. and Elliott, E.J. (2023) ‘Australian children living with rare diseases: health service use and barriers to accessing care’, World Journal of Pediatrics, 19, pp. 701-709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-022-00675-6
Bull, C., Howie, P. and Callander, E.J. (2022) ‘Inequities in vulnerable children’s access to health services in Australia’, BMJ Global Health, 7(5), p. e007961. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007961
Sakhvidi, M.J.Z., Mehrparvar, A.H., Sakhvidi, F.Z. and Dadvand, P. (2023) ‘Greenspace and health, wellbeing, physical activity, and development in children and adolescents: An overview of the systematic reviews’, Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 34, p. 100445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2023.100445
Nicole, W. (2018) ‘Nature and Neurodevelopment: Differences in Brain Volume by Residential Exposure to Greenness’, Environmental Health Perspectives, 126(6). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6084845/
Journal of Pediatric Nursing (2017) ‘Does Access to Green Space Impact the Mental Well-being of Children: A Systematic Review’, Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 37, pp. 3-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2017.08.027
World Health Organization (2016) Urban green spaces and health. [online] Available at: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/345751
