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Teaching and learning

Accreditation period Units 1 and 2: 2025-2029; Units 3 and 4: 2025-2029

 

Unit 1 Understanding health and wellbeing

Unit 1 Area of Study 1: Concepts of health


Outcome 1:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to explain multiple dimensions of health and wellbeing, explain indicators used to measure health status and analyse sociocultural factors that contribute to variations in the health status of youth.

Examples of learning activities

  • Discuss what health and wellbeing means to you: when someone asks ‘How are you?’ they are politely asking about your health and wellbeing. A response might be quick and automatic but think about answers such as ‘well’, ‘not bad’ or ‘good’, and what exactly they mean. Make a list of what it takes to truly feel in ‘good’ health.
  • Investigate and deconstruct the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of health: ‘A state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. Discuss the meaning of each element in isolation and write your own definition of your own understanding of health.
  • Health and wellbeing have been subject over many years to different definitions and philosophies. Research a range of definitions of health and wellbeing and display these. Choose a definition that resonates with you and compare it with a definition favoured by another student. Construct a Venn diagram showing similarities and differences between the two definitions.
  • Create a concept map or infographic to show that there are physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions to the concept of health and wellbeing, what every dimension represents, and how they are related to one another. Concept mapping software such as SmartDraw, Visio, Inspiration, MindManager, Mind42, MindMeister, Mindomo, or Bubbl.us can be used to develop a concept map or to create an infographic use Canva or Piktochart.
  • Write a short story or a scene for a movie/play that features people with various strengths and challenges related to their health and wellbeing. Annotate the piece to show which dimensions of health and wellbeing are motivating or affecting the characters: physical, social, emotional, mental and/or spiritual.
  • Use Google Images or Flickr to collect a number of images of each of the WHO prerequisites for health. Write a few words in response to each image on how positive health outcomes can be promoted. Collate the words for each image using Wordcloud. Display the images around the classroom.
  • Visit Gapminder’s Dollar Street and undertake a comparison of three families (high-, middle- and low-income) by clicking on the family button. Undertake an audit of their resources mapped against the WHO prerequisites for health. Reflect on how the prerequisites contribute to positive health outcomes
  • In small groups, rank the WHO prerequisites for health from most important to least important. Report each group’s thoughts back to class and, as a class, reflect on whether this was a difficult task.
  • Conduct primary research within the class/school, or of students beyond the school, to collect data on youth perceptions of health issues. The survey could be conducted in person or using an online poll or survey, such as Survey Monkey, or Google Forms. Record the results of the survey in a class Google Classroom. The questionnaire for the survey could include questions such as the following:
    • What do you care most about?
    • Is your health important to you?
    • What does it mean to be healthy/well?
  • Collate class data and draw some generalised conclusions about youth perspectives on health and wellbeing. Compare collected data against national data collected in Mission Australia’s youth survey looking for similarities and differences.
  • Reflect on individual attitudes and perceptions of physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual health by explaining each one and ranking the dimensions according to how important they are. Then find and present some case studies of attitudes/perceptions of each dimension of health and wellbeing that differ from your own.
  • Analyse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on health and wellbeing by comparing the definition used in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan with the WHO definition for health.

    ‘Aboriginal health means not just the physical wellbeing of an individual but refers to the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the whole Community in which each individual is able to achieve their full potential as a human being, thereby bringing about the total wellbeing of their Community. It is a whole-of-life view and includes the cyclical concept of life-death-life.’


    Create a Venn diagram highlighting similarities and differences between the two definitions and discuss how this shows different perspectives.

  • Analyse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on health and wellbeing by comparing the listed priorities of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan with your own priorities, and answering the question: ‘What do I need to promote positive health outcomes?’
  • Discuss whether the following statement applies to every Australian, not just the Indigenous community: ‘To us, health is about so much more than simply not being sick. It's about getting a balance between physical, mental, emotional, cultural and spiritual health. Health and healing are interwoven, which means that one can’t be separated from the other’ (Dr Tamara Mackean, Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association, cited by Creative Spirits.
  • Consider the social and cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander as described in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan. Detail how these determinants represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ attitudes towards health and health care by creating a graphic organiser or annotated poster. Focus on highlighting concepts of social justice and equity in this information.
  • Access the most recent edition of Injury in Australia report. Define and explain the use of each of the following measures of health status: incidence, prevalence of health conditions, morbidity, hospitalisation rates, burden of disease, mortality, life expectancy, core activity limitation, psychological distress and self-assessed health status.
  • ‘Research has shown that self-assessed health is a predictor of mortality and morbidity’ (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007). Access the most recent ABS ‘Self-assessed health in Australia: A snapshot’ report; produce a short, written report or visual presentation to identify the factors that influence Australians’ assessment of their own health status and to explain the meaning of the above quote.
  • As a class, brainstorm the topic: ‘What is health and wellbeing data for?’ Explore the latest health data in the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare publication of Australia’s Health and summarise some key findings.
  • Investigate and identify the health status and health risks for young Australians using the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; Health of young people Collate class findings on a shared class Google Drive or One Drive or SharePoint.
  • Watch an episode of the ABC documentary series Keeping Australia Alive (2016) on ClickView. Map all the examples of sociocultural factors making a difference to young people’s health status and their access to health care.
  • As a class, list factors that potentially influence individuals’ health outcomes. Highlight all factors in this list that might be considered ‘sociocultural’. Use Google Images or Flickr to collect images that represent each factor and write next to each image a possible health consequence of that factor.
  • Analyse the following two statements from VicHealth:
    • ‘We recognise that the social and economic conditions for all people influence their health’.
    • ‘We promote fairness and opportunity for better health’.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    In groups, research one of the following sociocultural factors: peer group, education, income, and health literacy. Discuss how and why the factor can make a difference to health and wellbeing and health status. Each group presents their findings to the class through a visual presentation using iMovie, Prezi or PowerPoint.
  • Analyse the following statement within the context of sociocultural influences on health and wellbeing: ‘The data tells us there is no employment gap, no employment gap between Indigenous Australians and non-indigenous Australians with a university degree’. (Prime Minister’s Closing the Gap speech, February 2017). The ABC News labelled the above quote a ‘window of hope’ for Aboriginal health.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Visual presentation: sociocultural influences on health and wellbeing

As an introduction to the activity, discuss the concept of ‘sociocultural’ as a combination of social and cultural factors that contribute to health and wellbeing. Ask students to consider the following quote and create a concept map of their own ‘sociocultural context’: ‘Children grow up in specific physical, social, cultural, economic and historical circumstances – their sociocultural context’ (Open University).

Divide the class into groups and brainstorm one of the following sociocultural factors: peer group, education, income, and health literacy. Ask students to consider how each factor might influence health and wellbeing. They should particularly think about how this factor might make a difference to Australian youth.

With a focus on their allocated sociocultural factor, students research differences in health status among Australian youth, drawing evidence-based conclusions about risk factors and protective factors. (The AIHW publication Health of young people is good source of data.) While researching, each group should plan a visual presentation of their topic, collecting images and ideas that will assist them to share their findings with the class.

Findings and conclusions are shared with the class via a visual presentation such as: a short video, a roleplay or other dramatic presentation, a website or social media presentation or a display of images. For example, students could use iMovie, Prezi, PowerPoint, Animoto or Padlet to create display of images.

Unit 1 Area of Study 2: Youth health and wellbeing


Outcome 2:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to interpret data to identify key areas for improving youth health and wellbeing, and analyse one youth health area in detail.

Examples of learning activities

  • Consider the following quote and discuss the importance of the youth stage of life in promoting health outcomes: ‘Many of the attitudes and behaviours – even the illnesses – that largely determine adult health and wellbeing have their origins in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood’ (AIHW 2011). Discus whether these words should be a ‘call to action’.
  • Review a recent film, television drama or documentary that has youth health and wellbeing as a central theme, such as BTN High Worries or Old peoples home for teenagers While doing this, consider the following guidelines: Does it show a good understanding of adolescence? How did it made you feel? Would you recommend it to friends? Entries could be recorded on a class or individual blog, such as Edublogs
  • Access the eSafety commission program for intergenerational learning: Be Connected: Young Mentors. Consider the benefits for improving youth health and wellbeing through participation in this program.
  • Consider the quote, ‘Young people have to work through a broad range of issues as they move from childhood to adulthood’ (Better Health Channel). Access ‘Teenage Health’; the summary at the top lists ten areas of concern for young people; use it as a starting point to create your own ‘Top 5’ issues of adolescence.
  • Compile a collection of recent news reports that relate to youth health and wellbeing across all dimensions. As a class, use the reports to draw two conclusions: whether media reports about youth tend to be positive or negative and what the major health ‘issues’ are for youth, as perceived by the news media. Critique this portrayal of your age group in terms of relevance, fairness and accuracy.
  • Practise data interpretation together in small groups using a series of straightforward but varied graphs and tables relating to health status. Answer questions on the meaning of the data as well as its potential use in the promotion of health and wellbeing.
  • Interpret a series of key graphs from ‘Health status’ from AIHW webpage Health of young people. As a class, pinpoint some statistical trends and draw conclusions relating to the health status of Australian youth.
  • Access AIHW’s Health of young people webpage and examine the information on health status and health risk factors. Create a brief report on key findings, under the headings ‘The good news’ and ‘Things to work on’.
  • Find and share examples of statistics/data that show variations in the health status of different groups of Australian young people.
  • Survey the class to find out what young people are concerned about in terms of their health and wellbeing. The survey can be conducted in person or using an online poll using Google Forms. Record the results of the survey in a class Google Classroom.
  • Investigate the most recent youth survey at Mission Australia Youth survey. Describe the data provided and what the data is used for. Create an infographic to summarise the results of the most recent survey, with a focus on what young Australians consider to be the top issues they face.
  • Investigate the following research related to youth and their online experiences through the eSafety Commissioner website: Digital lives of young people living with a disability, Online gaming for children and young people, Online experiences of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander children, parents & caregivers, Young peoples attitudes towards online pornography and age assurance
  • Invite a guest speaker who works in the field of youth health and wellbeing (doctor, nurse, psychologist, counsellor, social worker, youth worker etc.). In groups, prepare questions relating to a chosen area of research.
  • Find and/or create case studies of young people who have benefited from accessing a program targeting youth health and wellbeing; these can be written or taped interviews or testimonials, edited to protect privacy as appropriate.
  • Access the Victorian Government’s Youth Central website. In groups, select different programs that have a focus on youth health and wellbeing; prepare a report for the government (a short video, podcast or written report), evaluating and rating the program and advising the government on future initiatives.

    Investigate government and non-government youth programs in the local area. As a class, compile a guide to youth support services, with a brief description and evaluation of each. What do they do and how are they funded? Collate class findings on a shared class Google Drive or One Drive or SharePoint.

  • Find and share news articles or video clips that feature community concern and criticism related to youth health programs or proposals; examples could include the Safe Schools program, the Doctors in Secondary Schools program, and debates around pill testing at entertainment venue. Compile examples of changes that have been made to programs because of community concerns.
  • Discuss and debate the following statement: ‘When there’s a fuss about young people it’s always about sex or drugs, like they don’t trust us not to be idiots’.
  • Brainstorm the range of costs of ill-health and injury to the Australian community. Consider things like treatment, sick leave and inability to participate in community events. Access the following websites to conduct research to add to the original brainstorm:
  • In small groups, create a case study of an individual suffering from an illness or injury of your choosing. Track the person through a typical week of work, school and any other recreational or family activities, and normal weekly chores. Annotate where the illness or injury will impact the performance of those activities and note when there may be an actual out pf pocket expense incurred. Share with other groups to create a summary of typical costs associated with ill-health. Categorise the costs into direct, indirect and intangible.
  • Find and document examples of young people involved in youth health advocacy Create a poster outlining their actions.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    In preparation for detailed research into one area of youth health and wellbeing, familiarise yourself with a range of state and national organisations and programs that support and promote youth health. Consider the influences that led to the creation and implementation of each program, and access to, programs that target youth health. The following are some examples of organisations and issues to explore:
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Report: focus on Australia’s youth

Choose one area of youth health and wellbeing to focus on. Make sure it is an area that has been identified for health promotion action and intervention in Australia, as the task includes researching relevant strategies and programs.

The choice of focus should be supported by current health data on burden of disease, health inequalities among Australian youth and/or documented evidence of the major concerns of Australian young people. A recommended starting point for identifying current focal points is either AIHW Health of young people or Mission Australia Youth survey.

Students’ research and reporting on the selected focus area should be structured around the following:

  • With a focus on the selected topic, explain its impact on the health and wellbeing of Australian young people, making sure all the dimensions of health that may apply are considered.
  • Present statistical evidence (data) on incidence, prevalence and trends – that is, the number of young people reporting this health issue, how likely young people are to be affected, and any relevant information on who may be more (or less) likely to be affected, and whether the problem is improving or getting worse.
  • Considering young people now and in the future, their families and the nation, what are the costs (direct, indirect and intangible)?
  • What are the risk factors?
  • What are the protective factors?
  • What healthcare services and supports are available for young people in relation to this issue?
  • What programs and strategies are in place to address the chosen focus area? Has there been any community input or debate around this topic? (In other words, is it talked about in the news and/or on social media?) If so, discuss how community response and input has influenced related health strategies/programs.
  • Investigate how accessible programs and strategies are for young people and analyse the factors that may act as enablers or barriers to access programs and support.
  • How can young people contribute to improving the health outcomes in relation to this issue through advocacy and actions. Consider personal strategies as well as community actions.

Unit 1 Area of Study 3: Health and nutrition


Outcome 3:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to apply nutrition information, food selection models and initiatives to evaluate nutrition information.

Examples of learning activities

  • In small groups, create a visual image that shows food as a foundation (like a building); annotate this drawing or diagram that illustrates the structures supported by this foundation, considering the question: ‘What are the elements of health and wellbeing that are supported by food and nutrition?’
  • As a class, consider the question: ‘What are the major nutrients?’ Visit Eat for Health and, with a focus on carbohydrates (including fibre), fats, proteins, water, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, calcium, sodium and folate, explore the information and resources that are available. In groups, share brief oral or visual presentations on the allocated nutrient to understand the range of information and resources available.
  • Analyse the statement: ‘Consuming a sensible, balanced diet can help us to achieve optimal health throughout life’ (National Health and Medical Research Council). Explain the meanings of ‘sensible’, ‘balanced’ and ‘optimal health’ in this context.
  • Investigate macronutrients: what they are, why they are important to health, and good food sources. Suggest new, effective ways to communicate this information to teenagers.
  • Investigate micronutrients: what they are, which ones are important for health growth and functioning (including calcium, iron and vitamin C), and good food sources. Suggest new, effective ways to communicate this information to teenagers.
  • ‘Food provides our bodies with the energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals to live, grow and function properly. We need a wide variety of different foods to provide the right amounts of nutrients for good health’ (National Health and Medical Research Council). How does the Australian government suggest we achieve this? Investigate current advice and guidelines using Eat for Health
  • Access the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and describe the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating to someone who has never seen it before. Explain how it relates to the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Include an evaluation of the effectiveness of this model in the promotion of healthy eating among youth.
  • Visit Nutrition Australia’s Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and describe the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating to someone who has never seen it before. Explain how it relates to the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Include an evaluation of the effectiveness of this model in the promotion of healthy eating among youth.
  • Visit Nutrition Australia’s Healthy Eating Pyramid and access the list of Frequently Asked Questions. See how many you can accurately answer before looking at the responses provided by Nutrition Australia. Conclude this activity by providing an evaluation of the effectiveness of this model in the promotion of healthy eating among youth.
  • Research the Health Star Rating System and prepare a review of its effectiveness by considering the following questions:
    • Is the System easy to understand?
    • Is the System easy to use?
    • Does the System promote the right foods?
    • Does the System help to improve the health of Australians?
  • Review the media article at The Conversation that looks at the use of the health star rating system in Australia. Summarise the main arguments presented in relation to the effectiveness of this tool in promoting healthy eating.
  • Create a table that compares The Healthy Eating Pyramid, The Health Star Rating System and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Consider the strengths and limitations of each of these food selection models. Use this information to analyse the effectiveness of each model in promoting healthy eating among youth.
  • Based on 2020–21 data in Australia’s Health (AIHW), , for children aged 2−17 years, it is estimated that 91% do not meet the recommendations for daily fruit and vegetable consumption according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines. With this in mind, answer the following questions:
    • What nutrients are Australia’s young people likely to be deficient in?
    • How might this effect their short- and long-term health outcomes.
  • ‘Children who skip breakfast generally have poorer nutrition. Their diets contain less calcium, iron, dietary fibre and vitamins such as riboflavin and niacin. Skipping breakfast becomes more common as children get older…Adults who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to be a healthy weight and more productive at work’(Better Health Channel). With the above information in mind, write some brief but catchy advertising to encourage young people to eat breakfast.
  • As a class, brainstorm and make a list of all the sources of food information young people are exposed to, especially information about healthy eating. Together, create a continuum from ‘Most believable and trustworthy sources’ to least. Discuss various barriers to credibility and integrity, such as conflict of interest, profit motive, lack of qualifications and flawed research methods. Find and share examples of evidence-based, trustworthy nutrition information.
  • Research different commercial and food marketing tactics – especially those used to target children. Use articles from The Conversation and information on the Food for health alliance website. Consider sales and marketing strategies, labelling and packaging and food product design. Evaluate the validity of both of these sources of information. Complete a class presentation using Prezi or Powerpoint to demonstrate and summarise tactics.
  • Investigate laws pertaining to food labelling in Australia at Food Labelling. Using this information, compare products by looking at the ingredient and nutrition information panel on the packaging. Write a blog about the importance of understanding how to read nutrition information on food packaging using Edublogs.
  • Research ultra-processed foods. Investigate the packaging and advertising used to make these products more desirable to consumers.
  • Investigate advocacy groups that work to monitor and regulate food advertising aimed at children, such as Food for health alliance. Outline the actions they recommend to improve the way food is made, labelled, sold and advertised to children. Evaluate the validity of the information provided on this website by examining the sources of information and explaining why they are reliable and valid.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Discuss and debate the following topic: ‘Research shows that children and adolescents are more vulnerable to marketing’s influence than adults. In particular, food and beverage marketing has a tremendous impact on what young people eat and drink, and marketers use this knowledge to reach kids at a young age, potentially shaping their eating habits for life’ (Digital Ads).
  • ‘With a growing amount of marketing dollars being pumped into digital venues such as social networks, online games, mobile phones, and virtual worlds, fast food, snack and soft drink companies are able to reach kids and teens in more ways and in more places than ever’ (Digital Ads). Access this link and study the marketing techniques listed. Explain the five techniques; find examples of these techniques being used in food marketing in Australia; draw evidence-based conclusions about whether these techniques work (i.e. lead to more sales and increased consumption).
  • Critique the validity of the digital brochure ‘Claims and evidence: food marketing to children’. The brochure looks at six claims commonly made in support of food advertisements aimed at children, and presents evidence in response to the claims.
  • As a class, make a list of sociocultural and commercial factors that make it difficult to have a healthy diet; then make a list of factors that make it easier to have a healthy diet.
  • Considering the social, cultural and commercial influences on young people, create a concept map that shows the co-existence and intersection of these three tiers of influence, with a focus on how they make decisions about what to eat. Use concept mapping software such as SmartDraw, Visio, Webspiration Classroom, Cmap, Inspiration, MindManager, Mind42, MindMeister, Mindomo, Bubbl.us or FreeMind to develop a concept map and collaborative idea maps. Include in the concept map at least two food-related messages that regularly come your way from each of the three categories of influence.
  • Find case studies of media celebrities who have found a voice as ‘experts’ or influencers in food and nutrition. As a class, compile a reference list of books, television programs, and social media accounts that promote the idea of ‘celebrity as expert’. Review several of these references, evaluating the impact of the nutrition message in terms of long-term health outcomes for youth. Try to identify at least one positive case study (i.e. a credible and informed voice) among those reviewed.
  • Investigate the work of the Coalition on Food Advertising to Children
  • Create an infographic that details the WHO’s ‘Set of recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children’.
  • Collect a range of popular food and drink advertisements from print, TV and social media. Select one example and create a poster detailing the following;
    • How does the ad make you feel when you watch it?
    • What techniques have been used to persuade you?
    • Who was the target audience of the ad?
    • How does the ad act as a barrier to healthy eating?
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Oral presentation (podcast): Sucked in? Young people and food marketing

Access and explore the Digital Ads website to understand the argument put forward in the quote: ‘Research shows that children and adolescents are more vulnerable to marketing’s influence than adults. In particular, food and beverage marketing has a tremendous impact on what young people eat and drink, and marketers use this knowledge to reach kids at a young age, potentially shaping their eating habits for life’.

Conduct a class discussion about whether, as adolescents, students feel that:

  • they are more ‘vulnerable to marketing’s influence’ than older people (and, if so, how do marketers ‘reach kids’?)
  • marketing has a ‘tremendous impact’ on what they eat and drink (and, if so, whether this will shape their eating habits ‘for life’).

Divide the class into groups. Each group creates an audio podcast on the topic of ‘Sucked in? Young people and food marketing’. The podcast should appeal to an adolescent audience and be suitable for broadcast on youth radio or uploaded to support a social media promotion of youth health and wellbeing.

The podcast should include:

  • background information about the vulnerability of children and adolescents to marketing’s influence
  • examples of food or beverage advertisements and or influencers that effectively reach and influence young people
  • interviews/vox pops that explore the experiences and opinions of young people on the topic.

Use Edublog to create student blogs.

Unit 2 Managing health and development

Unit 2 Area of Study 1: Developmental transitions


Outcome 1:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to explain developmental changes in the transition from youth to adulthood, analyse factors that contribute to healthy development during the prenatal and early childhood stages of the human lifespan and explain health and wellbeing as an intergenerational concept.

Examples of learning activities

  • In small groups, brainstorm a list of human lifespan stages and suggest the ages at which each stage occurs. Groups present their lifespan to the class, followed by discussion about:
    • why there might be differences in the representation of the human lifespan and the ages for each stage
    • what are the key characteristics of each stage?
  • Create an annotated and visually representative timeline of the different stages of the lifespan, which could be presented as a poster or using Prezi, iMovie, Comic Life, Animoto or Padlet
  • Using an assigned lifespan stage, create a poster of the age range and key characteristics of their stage. Display the posters in chronological order around the classroom.
  • Print a variety of pictures of people representing different lifespan stages; order them from youngest to oldest. Discuss as a class the characteristics/visual clues used in ordering the pictures.
  • Interview an adult and ask them about their opinion regarding the following statement: ‘Youth is the best time of your life’. Use the findings from the interview to draw conclusions about perceptions of youth.
  • Find out about the so-called ‘sandwich generation’, for example at ABC News. Undertake a PMI (Plus, Minus and Interesting) of the ‘sandwich generation’ concept, discussing how the sandwich generation fits with your perceptions of adulthood.
  • In groups, using a graphic organiser or template, brainstorm the following: ‘Adulthood, looks like, feels like, sounds like’; ‘Youth, looks like, feels like, sounds like’. Discuss answers as a group. Ask a group of adults (parents, teachers, guardians) to complete the same brainstorm and compare the answers of both respondent groups. What were the similarities and differences in the perceptions of youth and adulthood? Suggest possible reasons for any differences in the perceptions.
  • Brainstorm ‘rites of passage’ that exist in Australian culture that signify the movement from the youth lifespan stage into the adulthood lifespan stage. Research other cultures’ rites of passage to adulthood.
  • In groups, research another country’s legal age for:
    • obtaining a car license
    • consuming alcohol
    • being tried as an adult in a court of law
    • marriage
    Explain the significance of these activities in the transition from youth to adulthood.
  • Survey students using an online polling tool, such as Poll Everywhere, to collect five words that describe ‘youth’ and five words that describe ‘adulthood’. Present the results as a word cloud. Discuss the similarities and differences in the perceptions of youth and adulthood as lifespan stages.
  • Discuss/prepare a presentation on stereotypical ways that youth may be viewed by society. Consider why society may see youth in this way.
  • In response to some topical news about the behaviour of young people, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper describing the characteristics of the youth lifespan stage.
  • Develop a list of developmental characteristics (e.g. attachment to caregiver, learns to walk, can write own name). Classify the particular types of development as physical, social, emotional and intellectual.
  • Design a crossword with the clues being characteristics of development; the answers are examples of physical, social, emotional or intellectual development.
  • Create a Padlet wall, defining and explaining the characteristics of the different types of development.
  • Create a Symbaloo of the different aspects of development, making links to websites or images containing different examples of development.
  • View part of a TV series (such as Bump or Surviving Summer), focusing on several characters. Consider: What is their stage of lifespan? What key developmental changes are currently happening in their life? Classify these developmental changes as physical, social, emotional or intellectual.
  • Develop a range of scenarios, for example:
    • married couple aged in mid-40s with two teenage children go out to dinner without the children
    • female aged 50 talking with friends at mid-week tennis competition.
    In pairs, document a possible conversation between these characters. Read or act out their script to the class and identify specific types of development (physical, social, emotional and intellectual) relevant to the conversation.
  • Construct a Venn diagram to document similarities and differences in youth and adult development.
  • Create an infographic designed for adolescents, informing them of the changes they can expect to experience as they transition from youth to adulthood.
  • Brainstorm ideas about ‘what a good relationship looks like’ and ‘what a bad relationship looks like’. Use the examples created to classify the impact of the relationships on the person’s optimal health and wellbeing.
  • Undertake a ‘values walk’ by devising a range of statements about what a ‘respectful relationship’ may look like and what a ‘disrespectful relationship’ may look like> Make a note of whether you agree/disagree with (or are unsure about) the statements read out. Discuss how healthy and respectful relationships contribute to optimal health and wellbeing.
  • Access the Department of Education’s Level 11–12 Resilience, rights and respectful relationships learning materials. Explore this publication and select activities suitable to explore the key skill ‘analyse the role of healthy and respectful relationships in the achievement of optimal health and wellbeing’.
  • Develop a brochure or blog educating people about their right to be treated respectfully, where they may be able to access local help or support, and how healthy and respectful relationships contribute to optimal health and wellbeing.
  • Brainstorm the topic: ‘What is a parent?’ Consider possible roles and functions of a parent.
  • In small groups, debate the idea: ‘Parenting begins before birth’. Report group ideas to the rest of the class.
  • Access Raising Children website and watch the video How play helps development. Discuss the importance of play for physical, social, emotional and intellectual development during early childhood, including how play impacts on future health and development.
  • Using recycled materials from home, school and/or the environment, design and make a toy suitable for a child. Present toys to the class, identifying the age group it is most appropriate for and describing how it can enhance the child’s physical, social, emotional and/or intellectual development.
  • Play a number of games suitable for children of varied ages (e.g. skipping, memory, puzzles, snakes and ladders). After playing each game, identify the age the game was most appropriate for and how the game would enhance physical, social, emotional and intellectual development. Present results in a table. As a class, create a list of social and emotional support resources that new parents might require. Using a scale from 1 to10 (1 being only slightly important and 10 being very important) rank the support resources identified.
  • Devise a survey to find out about the concerns of new parents or parents-to-be, each student interviews a new parent or parent of young children and discusses his/her findings with the class. Identify any common themes/concerns.
  • Visit the local Maternal and Child Health Centre or invite a Maternal and Child Health Nurse to speak to the class. Ask about the support and resources offered to families and new parents.
  • Create a story, calendar entry, or a poster, using Prezi, iMovie, Comic Life, Animoto or PadletSet, that details a ‘Diary from inside the womb’ from the perspective of the growing foetus. Detail the developmental changes from conception to birth. A useful resource is the Raising Children website Pregnancy week by week.
  • View animations of the process of fertilisation and prenatal development. Create a timeline showing the process of fertilisation and the stages of prenatal development.
  • Using playdough, clay or recycled materials, model the process of conception through to implantation with a focus on cell division.
  • Develop a concept map showing the risk and protective factors that influence prenatal development. Use the concept map to provide advice to parents, analysing the factors that influence development during the prenatal stage of the human lifespan.
  • Access ‘Alcohol. Think again’ (WA and identify the impacts of consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Research the issues associated with children affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; this education campaign has a specific promotion program targeted at pregnant women. Explain this program and how it aims to reduce rates of alcohol consumption in pregnancy and how alcohol consumption influences development during the prenatal stage of the human lifespan.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    In groups design and/or create a short (2–4 minutes) film/podcast/infomercial (for television, radio and/or internet) that could help to warn pregnant women and potential new mothers about the dangers of smoking, vaping, alcohol consumption or poor diet in pregnancy.
  • Watch an episode of Bluey on ABC iView. Note ways in which the episode shows examples of play, such as Musical statues. Identify the types of development evident in this play.
  • View a movie or television program focusing on parenting (such as ‘Bump’ or the ABC’s ‘Life At’ series) and consider the following:
    • the types of activities and how they promote development
    • how the different childcare options promote social and emotional development
    • how food choices can impact health and development
    • the importance of early childhood education for future health and development.
  • The use of iPads and tablets among toddlers has grown considerably. Conduct some research and list the pros and cons of young children having access to these devices. Consider the positive and negative impacts on the children’s future health and development.
  • Develop a 3–4 min podcast designed for mothers of young children, giving them some ideas of games they could play or create with their children that have a minimal cost. Include an analysis of the benefits of play on development during childhood.
  • Discuss the meaning of the word ‘intergenerational’ and brainstorm how it might apply to health and wellbeing.
  • Watch the video from the Healing Foundation on Intergenerational trauma. Discuss the impact of the stolen generation on the health and wellbeing of future generations.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Digital presentation: healthy mums and bubs

In groups, select a risk factor (e.g. alcohol, smoking, vaping, poor diet) that can impact on prenatal development. Design a short (2–4 minutes) film/podcast/infomercial for television, radio or the internet. The aim is to educate mothers and potential mothers. Students consider the following in their research:

  • how the risk factor can cross from the mother to developing foetus
  • stage of prenatal development that the mother is most at risk
  • impact on the physical health and development of the growing foetus
  • potential implications for long-term health and development
  • where mothers or potential mothers can seek further information.

Unit 2 Area of Study 2: Youth health literacy

Outcome 2:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to explain factors affecting access to Australia’s health system that contribute to health literacy and promote the health and wellbeing of youth.

Examples of learning activities

  • Brainstorm (individually) the following statements relating to the Australian health care system:
    • 'what I know (from personal experience)’
    • ‘what I’ve heard (from parents, teachers, media)’
    • ‘what I’d like to understand better’.

    Collate results as a class and discuss.

  • As a class, watch some or all episodes of the 2016 ABC documentary series Keeping Australia Alive (available on Clickview) (‘capturing the Australian health system in one snapshot’). Note as many examples as you can of how the system promotes health outcomes.
  • Create a Symbaloo with links to relevant website information regarding Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), private health insurance, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and other health services focused on youth.
  • Develop a mind map linking core aspects of the Australian healthcare system (Medicare, PBS, private health insurance and the NDIS) and how they are relevant for youth. Use mind mapping software such as SmartDraw, Visio, Webspiration Classroom, Cmap, Inspiration, MindManager, Mind42, MindMeister, Mindomo, or Bubbl.us to develop the mind map.
  • Using the Better Health Channel, collect information about allied health professionals, including:
    • Who are allied health professionals?
    • Can services of an allied health professional be claimed through Medicare?
    • How should you prepare for a visit to an allied health professional?
  • Create a ‘Double Bubble’ (a type of Venn diagram: use a Google ‘Images’ search for examples) to compare general practitioners and allied health services and identify similarities and differences. Describe how general practitioners and allied health services contribute to youth health literacy and improved health outcomes.
  • Using information from the Canberra Health Literacy Hub on Complementary and alternative therapies, present a position about whether complementary and alternative therapies are safe to use.
  • Using Services Australia, Teenage years website, identify the key milestones in accessing healthcare.
  • Research how to apply for your own Medicare card. Discuss the rights and responsibilities associated with having your own Medicare card.
  • Watch the YouTube video on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and discuss how the PBS supports youth health outcomes.
  • Private health insurance offers both hospital and extras cover; research some of the services covered by ‘extras’ insurance and discuss how these could improve youth health and wellbeing.
  • Research and consider the question: ‘Private health insurance: is it worth it?’ Take part in a class debate or write a persuasive article to either encourage people to take out private health insurance or to argue that their healthcare needs can be met by Medicare.
  • Research the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and explain how it works. Using examples of supports funded by the NDIS, create a mind map showing how the NDIS supports the five dimensions of health and wellbeing for youth with a disability. Use mind mapping software such as SmartDraw, Visio, Webspiration Classroom, Cmap, Inspiration, MindManager, Mind42, MindMeister, Mindomo, or Bubbl.us to develop the mind map.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Explore the local area to identify and list the health services available to youth. This could either be a literal walk in the local community or an internet investigation. Classify the services according to the dimensions of health and wellbeing that they may promote and explain how the service promotes the dimensions identified.
  • Design a brochure aimed at new residents in the area/suburb, describing the type of health services available. Target the brochure towards youth and focus on a dimension of health and wellbeing, for example mental health.
  • Visit a local Community Health Centre or hear from an invited guest. Ask about the range of services they offer for youth, how to access their services and how the centre is funded. Ask them to explain the strategies used by the Community Health centre to enable access for young people.
  • Conduct a class discussion on factors that may affect youth access to health services. Consider how these factors be may similar or different for other age groups.
  • Research services available to help young refugees or people of CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) backgrounds access health services.
  • Visit a hospital or hear from an invited guest about how the hospital supports minority groups to access appropriate health services. Consider ways that the health system could improve to ensure everyone accesses the health services they require.
  • Undertake a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of accessing health information online.
  • Research a list of digital health apps and discuss the question: ‘How do we know that these apps are reliable or effective?’ Develop a list of criteria for reviewing health apps.
  • Investigate a popular app targeted at Australia’s youth that promotes health and wellbeing (for examples, see the Youth Focus website). Write a review on the app and share results. The review should include:
    • Engagement – fun, interesting, customisable, interactive, well targeted to audience
    • Functionality – app functioning, ease of use, navigation, flow logic
    • Aesthetics – graphic design, overall visual appeal, colour scheme and stylistic consistency
    • Information – contains high quality information from a credible source
    • Subjective quality – would you recommend this app? (Source: Queensland University of Technology, Mobile Application Rating scale (MARS))
  • In small groups, devise and share scenarios and/or case studies that illustrate how young people might find themselves relying on digital media such as websites and online health practitioners to access the health information and support they need.
  • View My Health Record identify what the My Health Record is, the benefits of having a record and the possible privacy and security issues.
  • Brainstorm for a list of consumer rights when accessing healthcare. Record your ideas on a Padlet. Watch the video outlining the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. How did your list compare to that of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights?
  • Create an infographic that lists the rights and responsibilities of consumers accessing health services.
  • Develop a brochure, pamphlet or visual presentation that could be displayed in a hospital or doctors’ rooms, informing patients of their rights and avenues for complaint about a particular health system. Use the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights to access information about healthcare rights.to access information about healthcare rights.
  • In small groups, discuss:
    • Why it is important to have access to quality health information?
    • How do you know if the information you are accessing online is reliable health information?
  • Refer to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare poster Top tips for finding good health information online or the video and compare this with the points raised in your discussion.
  • Using the BetterHealth Channel – Doctors(GP) – how to make a complaint, explore:
    • the code of conduct for doctors in Australia
    • professional boundaries for doctors
    • to make a complaint about a doctor.
  • Using the information and video on the website for the Health Complaints Commissioner
    • What does the Health Complaints Commissioner do?
    • What can you complain about?
    • What can making a complaint achieve?
    • How are complaints lodged the Health Complaints Commissioner?

Detailed example

Directory of health services for youth

Students explore and list the health services for youth that could be accessed in their local area or online. This could involve a literal walk in the local community or a search of the internet. After creating the list of services, each student should be allocated one or two services to review. The review should include:

  • the service name and contact information
  • the type of service provided, including a classification of the services according to the dimensions of health and wellbeing that they may promote and an explanation of how the service promotes the dimensions identified
  • the cost of the service or any other requirements, such as a Medicare card
  • any factors that may impact on the ability of youth to access the service
  • a critique of the health service, such as reliability and credibility.

Student reviews could then be collated into a directory of health services and published on the class website or blog to enable all students to access the information.


Unit 3 Australia’s health in a globalised world

Unit 3 Area of Study 1: Understanding health and wellbeing


Outcome 1:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to explain the complex, dynamic and global nature of health and wellbeing, interpret and apply Australia’s health status data, and analyse variations in health status.

Examples of learning activities

  • Create or collect a visual image of a ‘healthy’ person. Annotate all of the characteristics that you think make a person healthy. Share this with classmates and identify common themes in the pictures. Determine if there is a focus on physical health or on all dimensions. Are any dimensions not included? Why/why not?
  • Brainstorm examples of the physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions of health and create a visual display to demonstrate understanding of each dimension of health and wellbeing.
  • Create or find everyday case studies of people to identify different dimensions of health and wellbeing; for example, well-known stories from the media or fictional storylines and characters. Consider how the different dimensions of health and wellbeing may impact on other aspects of people’s lives. Create a mind map that shows how the dimensions can impact on each other, starting with the scenario in the case studies.
  • Collect or create images to create a visual story that shows how health and wellbeing is dynamic.
  • Conduct a survey of a range of people asking what health and wellbeing means to them. Use the findings to explain how health and wellbeing is a subjective concept.
  • Using a list of statements that represent physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions of health and wellbeing, in pairs, classify them into the corresponding dimension of health. Use the statements to construct a mind map of health dimensions using mind mapping software such as SmartDraw, Mind42, MindMeister, Mindomo or Bubbl.us to develop a concept map.
  • Consider how one dimension of health and wellbeing can impact on another dimension. Write a travelling case study. In pairs, begin a case study and outline the main characters’ physical health and wellbeing. Pass your story to the next pair who continue the case by describing how the physical health and wellbeing can influence mental health and wellbeing. The case then gets passed to the next pair who add another dimension, and so on. This continues until all dimensions are covered.
  • Use a lotus diagram or other graphic organiser to summarise the concepts of health and wellbeing, including different dimensions (and relationships between them).
  • Brainstorm factors that could contribute to different experiences of illness experienced by two people with the same disease.
  • Draw an outline of a body and inside the outline record a range of characteristics that would show this person to have optimal health and wellbeing across all dimensions. In small groups, determine what this person can do, or be, as a result of these characteristics, and record them outside the body.
  • Draw an outline of Australia. Inside the outline record examples of optimal health and wellbeing for the whole population, thinking about all the dimensions (‘All Australians would have…’). In small groups, determine what the Australian Government or population could do as a result of the examples of health and wellbeing recorded inside the map and list these outside the outline.
  • Draw an outline of the globe. Inside the outline record examples of optimal health and wellbeing for the whole world, thinking about all the dimensions (‘All People would have…’). In small groups, determine what this would mean for the whole planet and record these ideas.
  • Explain the health status of Australians compared with that of other developed countries by comparing data such as life expectancy, healthy adjusted life expectancy and under-five mortality rate (available on the WHO website).Using these health status indicators or researching other health status indicators for other developed countries, draw conclusions about the health status of Australia compared to selected countries and present findings as a mind map.
  • Using measurements of health status, including burden of disease, health adjusted life expectancy, disability adjusted life years (DALYs), life expectancy, under-five mortality rate, mortality, morbidity, incidence and prevalence, HALE, YLD, YLL and self-assessed health status, create a poster or Quizlet Flashcards that shows an example of each indicator as well as explaining what each indicator is.
  • Create a headpiece for each health status indicator and play a game of celebrity heads where a student wears an indicator and asks clarifying questions to determine the indicator on their head. Questions can only be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
  • Explore Gapminder and use its online tools to analyse and interpret data and graphs in relation to changes in mortality and morbidity over time. Gapminder’s motto is ‘Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact-based world view’.
  • Access the most recent version of Australia’s Health which is published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare every two years. Create a mind map identifying aspects of Australia’s health where we have made positive advancements, as well as aspects that we need to improve.
  • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of self-assessed health status as a measure of the health status of a population. Debate whether it is a valid measure of health status.
  • Undertake a ‘speed dating’ type activity where each student is given a specific measure of health status and has to teach the concept to peers.
  • Tabulate factors that impact on health, categorising them as biological, sociocultural or environmental. For each one, write a brief explanation of the factor and describe how it can impact on health status.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Select a population group based on SES, gender, remoteness, age or Indigenous status. Using information available on the AIHW or the ABS, collect data about variations in health status. Complete a visual presentation that highlights a range of factors that can influence the variations in health status identified.
  • Use case studies, media releases or newspaper articles or film clips as a basis for identifying variations in health status among different population groups. in small groups, choose one population group and use websites such as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to investigate the health status of the chosen population group and reasons for the variations. Present findings as a mind map or a collaborative summary table that shows the variations in health status of the population group and the environmental, and sociocultural factors that contribute to these variations.
  • Access information about a men’s health program such as the Men’s Shed Association or the Western Bulldogs’ Sons of the West. Identify areas of men’s health that these programs target. Identify why the government is investing resources into men’s health. Explain sociocultural and environmental factors that contribute to differences between male and female health.
  • Research the impact of smoking and vaping on health status by accessing the data and information available from Quit smoking, Quit vaping, Better health and Smoking and vaping. Summarise the key impacts in an info graphic.
  • Report on the key impacts on Australia’s health status at a population level of overweight and obesity by accessing the prevalence and impacts data in the AIHW Overweight and Obesity overview
  • Access the AIHW report ‘Alcohol review’ and identify some general trends in alcohol consumption over time and for different age groups. In groups, identify the harm of alcohol abuse to individual health status as well as to communities, workplaces and governments.
  • Using VicHealth’s ‘State of Salt’ infographic as an example, create a similar infographic or poster for either fat or dairy intake. Include data on the impacts of the nutritional imbalance on health status.
  • In small groups, create a poster or video advertisement encouraging a reduction in sugary drinks and showing how reducing sugar will benefit the health status of Australians. Access Rethink sugary drink for information.
  • Access media articles on a proposed ‘sugar tax’ as stimulus material, for example Australian sugary drink tax could prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes. Then debate the topic: ‘The Australian government should tax soft drink to save the health of Australians?’
  • Create a mind map about fat, ensuring you include the different types of dietary fat (for example, saturated, trans, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated) and include the function of each type of fat in the body and its impact Australia’s health status.
  • Research the nutrients in fruit and vegetables. Enter the nutrients into a table and explain the role of each nutrient in the body as well as the impact on health conditions and relevant health status indicators that can result from underconsumption of each nutrient.
  • Create a summary table of the following nutrients: fat, salt, sugar, calcium and fibre; indicate how they act as risk or protective nutrients to health status in Australia. Use the information to create an information brochure.

Detailed example

Biological, sociocultural and environmental factors that contribute to variations in health status between population groups

In groups, students select a population group based on SES (for example, high and low SES), gender, remoteness, age, Indigenous status, or country of birth. Each groups conduct research on the differences in health status for their chosen population group, using reliable data sources and risk factor information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and AIHW report Australia’s Health. They analyse this health data and combine it with their knowledge of biological, sociocultural and environmental factors to further analyse the possible reasons for the differences in health status within the chosen population group. Students create a visual presentation using iMovie, Prezi or PowerPoint that highlights a range of factors that can influence the variations in health status that have been identified. They share the presentations with classmates.


Students consider the following in their research:

  • Outline the population group chosen
  • Collect data using health status indicators and evaluate differences in health status within the chosen population group
  • Choose relevant examples of biological, sociocultural and environmental factors and analyse how they can cause the differences in health status from above.

Unit 3 Area of Study 2: Promoting health in Australia


Outcome 2:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to explain changes to public health approaches, analyse improvements in population health over time and evaluate health promotion strategies and initiatives.

Examples of learning activities

  • Access historical data on health status in Australia at AIHW Historical records of mortality. Analyse this data and draw conclusions about the overall changes in health status since 1900. Brainstorm possible reasons for improvements in health status.
  • Source a range of images of day-to-day life in Australia in the early 1900s (looking at aspects of life such as housing, workplaces, street life, transport, diets, etc.) from the State Library. Brainstorm possible causes of death and illness during these times, and any programs that might have been put in place to improve the rates of death and disease.
  • Develop a paragraph that describes the key concepts of the social model (not the principles). Use Google Images or Flickr to find images that represent the key ideas and create an annotated poster on the social model of health. Do the same for the biomedical model of health. Display the posters side by side and create a table that examines the strengths and limitations of each model in promoting improvements in health outcomes.
  • Using the images of early life in Australia, annotate the various old public health initiatives that may have been implemented in relation to each image.
  • Create a timeline from 1900 to today to show when various models of health have been implemented to improve health outcomes for Australians. Use The National Museum of Australia Defining Moments timeline to research significant health initiatives from 1900. Add these to your timeline. Classify the examples as ‘old public health’, ‘social model of health’ or ’biomedical’ and explain how they can lead to improvements in health.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    In small groups, students research a significant health issue in Australia such as smoking and vaping, skin cancer, road traffic accidents or obesity and overweight, looking at current data. Students research and select a health promotion initiative in response to their chosen issue and analyse the ways in which the initiative reflects action areas of the Ottawa Charter. Students analyse how the implementation of these actions can improve health outcomes for Australians. Students share their research with the class.
  • In small groups, select one action area of the Ottawa Charter for health promotion, and brainstorm examples in response to a single health issue such as tobacco use, alcohol misuse, overweight and obesity, child safety or road safety. Use example to develop a poster display similar to SunSmart.
  • Google ‘Public Health Campaign images in Australia’ and choose a campaign to investigate. Consider: When did the campaign run? Who funded the campaign? Who was the campaign targeted at? What health issue was the campaign aiming to address? Identify the action areas of the Ottawa Charter reflected in the chosen campaign.
  • Access the National Tobacco Campaign website and create a timeline of tobacco control initiatives. Choose one initiative, identify action areas of the Ottawa Charter reflected in the initiative, and describe how it could improve health.
  • Visit How safe is your car? and identify action areas of the Ottawa Charter reflected in this initiative. Identify safety features present in new cars and explain how the technology aims to keep people safe. Research safety technology advances in cars over the last 60 or so years and present findings in a timeline. Compare the progression in safety advances to road death statistics and highlight any trends.
  • Visit SunSmart and create an infographic timeline of sun safety initiatives over the years. For each initiative, identify action areas of the Ottawa Charter reflected in the initiative and explain how they can improve health outcomes.
  • Visit the Deadly Choices program and/or the Australian Indigenous Health Infonet. Choose one program, identify key aims of the program and analyse how it reflects the action areas of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Discuss how participation in the program might improve health for Indigenous Australians and promote social justice.
  • Visit the website of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and research the range of services available to promote health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. Analyse how your chosen program can promote social justice and contribute to improved health outcomes.
  • In pairs, access the Australian Dietary Guidelines and select one dietary guideline to research, including its terminology, current uptakes in Australia and strategies in the community that are provided to help implement it. Evaluate how this guideline might promote healthy eating.
  • Complete a table to compare the similarities and differences between the Australian Dietary Guidelines, the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating. Use this information to evaluate the ability of these tools to promote healthy eating.
  • Brainstorm all the reasons why nutritional change might be difficult to achieve. Classify these as: sociocultural, environmental and commercial factors.
  • Investigate the influence of sales and marketing techniques in nutritional choices using Food for health alliance. Draw conclusions about the influence of food companies on making nutritional improvements difficult to achieve.
  • Discuss the statement: ‘Our environment is stacked against maintaining a healthy diet’. Brainstorm a list of factors contributing to the difficulty in achieving dietary change in Australia. Determine if these factors are environmental, sociocultural or commercial.
  • Use a lotus diagram or other graphic organiser to summarise the Australian healthcare system, including Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, NDIS or Private Health Insurance.
  • In small groups, collect images of a range of healthcare services in the local area. Determine the range of services provided and how accessible they are to the community.
  • Access the most recent version of Australia’s Health which is published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare every two years. Investigate how much Australia spends on health care each year and the types of services that the majority of funding is spent on. Discuss whether these services are a biomedical or social model approach.
  • Research one of: Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, NDIS or Private Health Insurance. Analyse how your aspect of the healthcare system can improve health status by considering access, funding, sustainability and equity. Present your findings to the class.
  • Create a Double Bubble (a type of Venn diagram: use a Google ‘Images’ search for examples) to compare Medicare and private health insurance and identify similarities and differences. Use this information to analyse the role of Medicare and private health insurance in improving health outcomes in relation to equity.
  • Research incentives for individuals to take out private health insurance. Discuss reasons why the Australian Government is encouraging people to have private health insurance, and how this might promote health outcomes.
  • Access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and find the publication (click on ‘Participants’) My NDIS Pathway. Using this information and/or further web research, create a mind map explaining how the NDIS promotes the health of individuals with a disability. Consider its funding, ability to be sustained over time, accessibility and equity.

Detailed example

Health promotion analysis

In small groups, students research a significant health issue in Australia such as smoking and vaping, skin cancer, road traffic accidents or obesity and overweight, looking at current data. Students research and select a health promotion initiative in response to their chosen issue and analyse the ways in which the initiative reflects action areas of the Ottawa Charter. Students analyse how the implementation of these actions can improve health outcomes for Australians. Students share their research with the class.

The research inquiry should cover the following points:

  • Analysis of data such as the prevalence and incidence of related health data.
  • A specific health promotion campaign to address their chosen health issue.
  • Analysis of how aspects of the health promotion campaign reflect action areas of the Ottawa charter.
  • Analysis of how aspects of the campaign can lead to improved health outcomes.

Unit 4 Health and human development in a global context

Unit 4 Area of Study 1: Global health and human development


Outcome 1:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to analyse similarities and differences in health status and human development globally and analyse the factors that contribute to these differences.

Examples of learning activities

  • View the first one minute and nine seconds of the United Nations Development Programme video What is human development? Use mind mapping software such as SmartDraw, Visio, Webspiration Classroom, Cmap, Inspiration, MindManager, Mind42, MindMeister Mindomo, or Bubbl.us to record the main ideas about human development.
  • Refer to the United Nations Development Programme website What is human development? and compile a list of characteristics of human development.
  • View the United Nations Development Programme website the Human Development Index to explore the concept of HDI, including an explanation of the HDI, and including dimensions and indicators.
  • Use the United Nations Development Programme website the Human Development Index to access information regarding the ‘Human Development Index’. Create a brochure of frequently asked questions with corresponding answers designed to inform others about the use, relevance and limitations of the ‘Human Development Index’ as a measure.
  • As a class, brainstorm characteristics and indicators of high-, middle- and low-income countries. Present findings as a mind map. Using a map of the world, identify countries that you think would be classified as being high-, middle- or low-income and compare your map to the World Bank classifications , including viewing how classifications have changed over time and consider the following questions:
    • What is Australia’s classification?
    • In which parts of the world are most of the low-income countries located?
    • In which part of the world are most of the high-income countries located?

    Find China on the map and consider how their income classification has changed over time, speculating on possible reasons for this change.

  • Consider a collection of country names such as Australia, United States of America, China, India, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Somalia. In pairs, rank the countries in order of income based on estimations. As a class, compare rankings to the Gapminder Health & Wealth of nations map and discuss what the map shows about the income and the health (life expectancy) of the countries. Discuss the evident trends.
  • Use data from the World Bank Country Data or the United Nations Development Programme Country Insights to compare a low- income country (such as Afghanistan or Somalia) with a high-income country (such as Australia) and middle-income countries (such as Indonesia, India or Cambodia). Use the specific data (HDI, GDP per capita, life expectancy at birth, maternal mortality) to write a paragraph comparing the characteristics of high- middle- and low-income countries.
  • In small groups, use Gapminder’s Dollar Street Gapminder’s Dollar Street to create a case study of a typical family with regard to their access to safe water, sanitation, food and cooking resources (choosing from a range of income groups). Identify how these factors may contribute to inequalities in health status. Share results and findings with other groups. Present findings using Comic Life, Animoto or Padlet
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Access ‘If it were my home’ to compare Australia to a variety of middle- and low-income countries.
  • In small groups, use WHO data for a high-, middle- and low-income country to create a mind map that compares and contrasts a country in each classification.
  • In small groups, create a Symbaloo with a focus on factors (such as access to safe water, sanitation, poverty and discrimination) that contribute to similarities and differences in health status and human development, with links to related information, case studies and videos.
  • Use the UNICEF resources ‘This girl spends eight hours a day doing something that takes us seconds’ and ‘The Power of water in Afghanistan’ to create a mind map analysing relationship of access to safe water and sanitation on health status and human development for both Ethiopia and Afghanistan, as compared to Australia.
  • Use the World Bank video Yemen: rainwater harvesting (2022, 2.20 min) to analyse the impact on health status and human development of the lack of access to water.
  • View the video ‘Slum stories: Kenya – Going to the toilet in a slum’ (Amnesty International 2011, 6 mins) to compare access to sanitation in low- and high-income countries. Analyse how lack of access to sanitation can contribute to poor health status and human development.
  • View the World Vision videos 'What is poverty’ (2015, 3.04 min) and 'What causes poverty’ (2015, 3.39 min) to explore similarities and differences in health status and human development between Australia and Timor Leste. Analyse how poverty contributes to these differences.
  • Brainstorm different types of discrimination and the impacts on health status and human development. Record your ideas as a Padlet
  • Explore the meanings of sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. Refer to the Beyond Blue website The impact of discrimination and discuss forms of discrimination and the impact on health status.
  • Use the United Nations Population Fund article ‘Champion of change: How a Tanzanian youth activist is rallying for gender equality in her community’ (2024) to analyse the impact of discrimination based on sex, on the health and human development of girls in Tanzania.
  • Use the VicHealth Research Summary Ethnic and race-based discrimination to explore the link between race-based discrimination and health.
  • View the video ‘Sustainability easily explained' (explainity channel 2012, YouTube, 4 mins). Summaries the dimensions of sustainability.
  • Use a variety of case studies such as Practical Action – Killer in the kitchen or other Practical Action projects to show how sustainable action or programs across the three areas (environmental, social and economic) can promote health and human development.
  • As a class or in small groups, create a mind map that identifies possible health and human development outcomes for each of the following global trends:
    • climate change
    • conflict
    • mass migration
    • increased world trade
    • tourism
    • digital technologies.
  • Complete a climate change KWL, which identifies:
    • what you Know about climate change and the impact on health and human development
    • what you Want to know about climate change and the impact on health and human development
    • what have you Learnt.
  • View the World Health Organization video ‘How is climate change affecting the Pacific?' (2020, 7.35 min) and consider the implications of climate change on health and human development for different Pacific Island countries.
  • Use the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change video ‘Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and vulnerability’ (2022, 13.45 min) to discuss:
    • the impacts of climate change on the planet
    • the relationships between human health and wellbeing and the health of the planet
    • the populations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
  • Use the infographic from the WHO website about Climate change and a case study about the impact of climate change on a community to analyse the implications of climate change on health and human development.
  • In groups, use a country case study, such as those found at United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs about conflict (for example Nigeria or Ukraine), and analyse the impact of conflict on health and human development. Groups report to the class about the impacts of conflict on health and human development. Collate a class list of the impacts identified.
  • Use the UNHCR report ‘Global trends: Forced Displacement in 2022’ and the WHO Europe Factsheet ‘The health of refugee and migrants in the WHO European Region’ to create an infographic about the scale and causes of mass migration and the impact on health and human development.
  • Use the documentary ‘Obesity is Only a rich country problem, Right? Wrong’ (World Bank, 2020, 6.18 min) to explore the impact of processed food on rates of disease burden.
  • Watch the video India’s Obesity Time Bomb (Bloomberg, 2023) and discuss how global distribution and marketing of processed foods is contributing to burden of disease in India.
  • View the World Vision Australia video ‘Aid and trade?’ (2015, 3.11 mins) and use the case study on Indonesia presented in the video to explain the implications for health and wellbeing of increased trade.
  • View the video ‘Spinning a Global Web: The tobacco Industry’s Pursuit of Minors’ (2022, 3.13 min) to identify the strategies that tobacco companies use to market cigarettes. Analyse how these strategies can impact on health and human development of children around the world.
  • Use the United Nations Tourism dashboard (select ‘Global and regional tourism results’) to identify the trends in global tourism. United Nations Tourism has a focus on sustainable tourism development. Explore what sustainable tourism development means and how it impacts on the health and human development of communities.
  • In small groups, select one of the stories from the United Nations Tourism- Stories. Analyse how the tourism in the story contributes to health, human development and sustainability. Share your ideas with the rest of the class.
  • Explore a range of digital technologies that could contribute to improved health and human development; some examples include the WHO’s WhatsApp Channel, SunSmart Global UV App
  • Read the WHO article ‘WHO launches women’s health chatbot with messages on breast cancer’ (2021) and discuss how the use of this technology improves women’s health and human development.
  • Use the case study (digital article and brief video) ‘Digital technology aiming to empower small-farm owners in East Africa’ (Tina Trinh, Voice of America January 2017) to explain how digital technologies are enabling increased knowledge sharing; discuss implications for health and wellbeing.

Detailed example

Case study analysis: comparing Australia with other countries

Students access ‘If it were my home’. Compare Australia to a variety of middle- and low-income countries. Research case studies and data from sites such as Viz Hub (University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) to compare the burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries compared to Australia, and the factors that contribute to variations.

Students create a presentation to demonstrate their research findings.

Use a range of case studies or video clips of middle- and low- income countries that reflect the influence of access to safe water, sanitation, poverty, and discrimination (race, religion, sex sexual orientation and/or gender identity for comparisons between Australia and a selected low- and middle-income country. Students use these case studies and video clips to analyse how these factors account for similarities and differences in health status and human development.

Students select one case study and prepare a visual presentation/report, which includes:

  • an identification and justification of the income group that the selected countries represent
  • a comparison the health status and human development of the selected country and Australia
  • identification and explanation of two factors that could lead to differences in health status and human development.

Ideas for using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) include:

Apps: Keynote

Software: Comic Life, PowerPoint Web 2.0: Prezi,Canvastera, Padlet, Symbaloo, and Animoto.


Unit 4 Area of Study 2: Health and the Sustainable Development Goals

Outcome 1:

On completion of this unit, the student should be able to analyse the relationships between the SDGs and their role in the promotion of health and human development, and evaluate the effectiveness of global aid programs.

Examples of learning activities

  • Access the most recent United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report
  • Use a range of case studies that represent examples of the work undertaken by organisations, such as the United Nations or the World Health Organization, in helping to achieve the SDGs; in pairs or small groups, summarise how these examples contribute to health and human development in a global context
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Using Viz Hub (University of Washington Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation) analyse differences in the progression of countries towards the SDG indicators. Access the United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform to understand the key health issues covered in SDG 3. Use websites to research one of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (1, 2, 4, 5, 6 or 12) and analyse its relationship to SDG 3. Use the information to produce a digital presentation.
  • Access the United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform and create a list of key features covered in SDG 3; use the list to classify:
    • key features that are of most concern in low-income countries
    • key features relevant to high-income countries
    • features that are common across all countries.
    Analyse how the achievement of SDG 3 contributes towards health and human development
  • Access the United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform and consider the key features of SDG 3. In groups, discuss key features that are relevant to Australia’s health and wellbeing; research and list health programs that are operating in Australia that may relate to the key features; consider how these programs contribute to health and human development.
  • Use the SDG Progress Chart to consider the progress towards achieving SDG 3. Analyse how the achievement of SDG 3 contributes to health and human development.
  • View the video ‘Sustainable Development Goals: Leaving no one behind' examples from Papua New Guinea ‘(United Nations 2017, 7.15 mins). From this case study, create a mind map or visual diagram of how the goals interrelate.
  • In small groups, use the United Nations booklet Bringing Data to Life: SDG human impact stories from across the globe, to explore stories from different communities around the world that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Each group should consider a different story (each story has a link to further information) and reflect on:
    • What are the challenges identified in the story?
    • What are the SDGs being addressed within the story?
    • What key features is being addressed?
    • How is the SDG being achieved?
    • How will achieving this SDG help promote health and human development?
  • In small groups, create a Symbaloo that contains information as well as links to further information, case studies and videos related to an SDG.
  • In groups, create a Padlet wall relating to one specific SDG, such as SDG 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 12. Investigate why the goal is important, its impact on the achievement of SDG 3, links to specific programs or countries that are working towards the goal, and how this will promote health and human development. lettered points
  • Use a lotus diagram or other graphic organiser to demonstrate the relationship between SDG 3 and SDGs 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 12; online templates can be found at Visual Paradigm and Creately.
  • Access Global Health Observatory data that summarises SDG 3 health-related targets. In small groups, investigate a specific health target and report on progress and the potential to reach the specific target by 2030.
  • In small groups, access the United Nations SDG website and explore one SDG (either SDG 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 or 12) and reflect on how the information presented about the SDG contributes to the achievement of SDG 3. Analyse how the achievement of the selected SDG can contribute to health and human development. Groups present their findings as a mind map or visual presentation and share with the rest of the class.
  • Read David’s story called A passion for preservation about tourism in Ghana. Identify how the community benefits from tourism and the SDGs that are being addressed in this community. Reflect on how this contributes to the achievement of SDG 3.
  • View the Academy 4 Social Change video Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty, and identify factors contributing to poverty. Suggest how addressing SDG1 could contribute to the achievement of SDG 3. Brainstorm for individual and/or social action that could be taken to address SDG 1.
  • Consider the most recent version of the World Food Programme’s Hunger Map. Identify countries with a high or very high rate of undernourishment. Choose one of these countries and investigate how the WFP is working collaboratively to achieve SDG 2 Zero Hunger.
  • Watch the UNICEF video Building futures for every child, and consider: How is the UNICEF program contributing to the achievement of SDG 4? What other SDGs are being addressed by the UNICEF program?
  • Access the Gender Inequality Index to identify countries that are ranked poorly for gender quality. Suggest strategies that could be implemented in that country to help achieve SDG 5 Gender Equality.
  • Use the United Nations SDG 6 Factsheet and SDG 6 Infographic to discuss how many people do not have access to safe water and sanitation. Consider: Why is SDG 6 important and how does SDG 6 contribute to the achievement of SDG 3?
  • Watch the video Goal 12- Responsible consumption and production and outline the key features of this goal and how it relates to SDG 3.
  • Use the WHO website to investigate the WHO, including what the WHO is and the goal and objectives of the organisation.
  • Design a poster or a Facebook or Instagram page for the World Health Organisation; consider the following:
    • an ‘About’ profile
    • 6–8 posts that include pictures and written statements to inform about WHO initiatives or programs, which is linked to their goal and objectives.
  • Using case studies of WHO programs or initiatives, such as Sudan emergency or In Chad, mobile clinics bring COVID-19 vaccinations to vulnerable groups or Nearly 10,000 children vaccinated as malaria vaccine rollout in Africa expands analyse how the WHO goal and objectives are reflected.
  • Find and document case studies to identify types of aid (bilateral, multilateral and non-government), including:
    • identification of the purpose of the aid
    • listing the characteristics of each type of aid
    • analysis of the effectiveness of the aid in providing humanitarian assistance, reducing poverty, improving human development and promoting health.
  • Create a PMI (plus, minus, interesting) chart for each of the types of aid (bilateral, multilateral and non-government).
  • Australia gives multilateral aid to the United Nations. In groups, visit the United Nations to investigate a key issue that the UN has a focus on. Report back to class on how supporting and working towards this key issue could improve overall health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
  • Research Australia’s aid budget highlights on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website and discuss:
    • how the budget reflects each type of aid and the partnerships involved
    • how the budget contributes to the achievement of the SDGs.
  • Consider where the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade delivers Australia’s aid program and select four countries to investigate further. Discuss:
    • Which regions does Australia’s aid program focus on?
    • What type of programs/services is the Australian aid helping to provide these countries?
    • What type of aid is used (bilateral, multilateral or non-government) and what partnerships are involved? (See the Department of Foreign Affairs and trade page Who we work with)
    • Which SDGs is this aid working towards and how will it help achieve the SDG named?
  • Consider an Australian Government’s aid program. Map these against the SDGs. Which SDGs are most prevalent in the Australian aid program investigated?
  • In small groups, use a list of features of effective aid programs (such as programs that focus on education, women, sustainability, results, transparency, accountability, local people and value for money) to evaluate the effectiveness of an aid program, including how it promotes health and human development. Share your evaluation with the class. Sources of aid programs could include World Vision or Care Australia
  • Research an example of a program implemented by a government or non-government organisation. Draw up a table and, in the left-hand column list the key characteristics necessary to ensure effectiveness of the program. In the right-hand column, list those characteristics evident in the case study and provide a brief overview of how they are evident.
  • Access the United Nations ‘Lazy person’s guide to saving the world’. Document a list of actions that could be taken. Highlight ones you already do, circle ones that you believe would be easy to start implementing straight away and underline ones that might be more difficult to implement. Reflect on how these activities could promote health and human development.
  • View the World’s Largest Lesson and, as a class, complete the following group task: Consider something that the group could possibly invent (internet research may be required) or implement within the school or local community; consider which SDG goal this may be associated with and how this invention/program could promote health and human development.
  • Explore the Australian Red Cross 50 ways to do more good. Make a list of ways in which individuals or groups could make a difference.
  • Explore the SDGs in Action app (from the Apple Store or Google Play) to learn more about the SDGs and find actions and events that support the goals. Investigate how the app allows people to create and plan actions in their area and invite other people to join.

Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Digital presentation: relationships between SDG 3 and the other health-related goals.

Using Viz Hub (University of Washington Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation) students analyse differences in the progression of countries towards the SDG indicators. Access the United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform to understand the key health issues covered in SDG 3. Students use websites to research one of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (1, 2, 4, 5, 6 or 12) and analyse its relationship to SDG 3. Students use the information to produce a digital presentation that includes:

  • a description of the chosen Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
  • features of the chosen SDG
  • how the achievement of the goal promotes health and human development
  • the relationship to, and impact of, this goal on SDG 3.


Ideas for using ICT

Apps: Keynote, Strip Designer

Software: Inspiration, Comic Life, Prezi, Canvastera, Padlet, Symbaloo, Animoto.


WHO Goals and Objectives

  • 2025 WHO Goals and Objectives
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