Healthy lifestyle behaviours that lower the risk of developing cancer are influenced by wider determinants of health (the conditions in which people are born, educated, work, live, and age) including:

• social determinants (family, housing, working conditions, and social networks)
• cultural determinants (connection to Country; family, kinship and community; beliefs and knowledge; cultural expression and continuity; language; and self-determination and leadership)
• commercial determinants (factors that influence health which stem from the profit motive)
• environmental determinants (climate, extreme weather events, pollution, and other aspects of natural and built environments).[18]

Therefore, a comprehensive, coordinated whole-of-system approach to cancer prevention operates in a broader public health context, involving public health strategies, collaborations, and partnerships at all levels across public, private, and non-government sectors. As many risk factors for cancer are also linked to other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory diseases,[2] there is a strong case for including cancer prevention in broader chronic disease policy and partnerships.

Activities to achieve this 2-year action may include:

• strengthening partnerships and collaboration between Government departments, non-Government agencies, peak national clinical bodies, non-health organisations, and Industry
• consideration of involving a broader range of health professionals to promote healthy lifestyles, participation in screening programs, and awareness of signs and symptoms.

Greater national coordination of cancer prevention will drive consistency across states and territories, and align to broader public health strategies, including the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030.[18] A collaborative approach will also increase the likelihood that priority population groups, who face greater barriers to access care, are exposed to cancer prevention strategies via a wider range of public health initiatives.

Implementation of this action for priority population groups should consider expanding partnerships with local, regional, and national organisations that have significant experience working with priority population groups across health and broader non-health issues. This may include:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations working across education, housing or justice
• organisations with established infrastructure in regional and remote areas
• organisations with expertise in tailoring care to the frailty or geriatric needs of older Australians.

Partnerships should seek to be community-led so that barriers and risk factors unique to the priority population group can be addressed with a tailored approach.