<i>“The Poorer You Are, the Harder It Is”</i> : Perspectives on Community Health Promotion in Tasmania

Community health and social service providers are essential intermediaries, bridging gaps through integrated, localised programs. Findings support Tasmania's vision for an integrated wellbeing approach and highlight the need for greater investments in prevention, stronger local governance and coordination, and strategies that address the structural determinants of health and enhanced community participation. SO WHAT?: This study extends Tasmanian health promotion scholarship by foregrounding provider perspectives and provides a unique system-level account of how providers adapt to entrenched disadvantage. It also demonstrates the value of a critical realist lens for understanding cycles of disadvantage. Together, these insights offer practical guidance for equity-oriented public health reform.