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Advice for teachers -
Health and Human Development

Unit 3 – Area of Study 1: Understanding health and wellbeing

Outcome 1

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

  • ask students to list three very important things in their lives; collate the list; how frequently was health mentioned? Discuss why health may be considered important, and why we might differ in how much we value it
  • brainstorm examples of the physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions of health
  • create a visual display to demonstrate understanding of the dimensions of health
  • ask students to draw a picture of ‘health’; identify common themes in the pictures
  • use 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
  • provide a list of statements that represent physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions of health and wellbeing; in pairs, students classify them into the corresponding dimension of health; use the statements to construct a mind map of health dimensions use mind mapping software such as SmartDraw, Visio, Webspiration Classroom, Cmap, Inspiration, MindManager, Mind42, MindMeister, Mindomo, Bubbl.us, or FreeMind to develop the mind map; the Digital Deck contains information about using FreeMind and collaborative idea maps
  • using butcher’s paper draw a large outline of a person or trace around a student; on the inside of the body identify ‘Factors that make it easy to be healthy’, and on the outside identify ‘Factors that make it hard to be healthy’; discuss whether there any factors that appeared both inside and outside the body? Classify the factors as physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual health; were there any factors that were difficult classifying in just one dimension? Why? Consider how one dimension of health and wellbeing can impact on another dimension
  • use a lotus diagram or other graphic organiser to summarise the concepts of health and wellbeing, including different dimensions (and interrelationships between them)
  • visit the website of the Workplace Health Association of Australia consider the purpose of the organisation and some of the health concerns identified in their research, write a short report on how improving workforce health can enhance the productivity of a nation
  • research the cost of absenteeism from work on the Australian economy
  • create a summary table or mind map exploring the costs associated with ill health to the individual, Australia and the world
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    visit Gapminder’s Dollar Street; undertake a comparison of three families (high-, middle- and low-income); click on each family and then the section to find out more about the family; undertake an audit of their resources mapped against the WHO prerequisites for health
  • in small groups, rank the WHO prerequisites for health from most important to least important; report the group’s thoughts back to class; as a class, reflect on whether this was a difficult task
  • 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; visit the WHO or UNICEF to research the 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
  • use a list of 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, create a quiz that tests understanding of the definitions for each term
  • brainstorm the meaning of the term ‘health status’
  • use an app to help define, distinguish and explain key indicators of measuring health status, for example Quizlet Flashcards
  • 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 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
  • use case studies, media releases or newspaper articles or film clips as a basis for identifying variations in health status among the different population groups and the determinants of health that contribute to these variations; discuss the variations and present findings as a mind map
  • use websites such as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to collect data that represents variations in determinants of health for males and females, those of low socioeconomic status, those living in rural and remote communities and Indigenous populations; analyse the data and use as a basis to predict variations that are likely to exist in the health status of these population groups
  • in small groups, choose one population group and use the Internet, videos, newspaper articles and press releases to investigate the health status of the population group and reasons for the variations; prepare a presentation to the class outlining the findings; prepare a collaborative summary table that shows variations in health status of the population groups and the environmental, biological and sociocultural factors that contribute to the variations
  • access the Australian Government’s National Male Health Policy; 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
  • 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; classify these targeted areas as biological, sociocultural and/or environmental factors
  • complete Venn diagrams to identify similarities and differences in the health status of the following population groups: 
    • male/females
    • indigenous and non-indigenous
    • high and low SES
    • people living in major cities and people outside of major cities.
  • tabulate factors that impact on health, categorising them as biological, sociocultural or environmental
  • access the AIHW report ‘Alcohol use in the general population’; identify some general trends in alcohol consumption over time and for different age groups; in groups, students identify the harm of alcohol abuse to individual health and wellbeing (physical, social, emotional, mental or spiritual) as well as to communities, workplaces, and governments; identify strategies and legislation that the government is putting in place to reduce harm from alcohol consumption
  • using VicHealth’s ‘State of Salt’ infographic as an example, create a similar infographic or poster for either fat, dairy or iron intake
  • in small groups students create a poster or video advertisement encouraging a reduction in sugary drinks and showing how reducing sugar will benefit health; 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 ‘Should the Australian government tax soft drink?’
  • create a mind map about fat, ensuring you include the different types of dietary fat e.g. saturated, trans, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated
  • create a summary table of the following nutrients: fat, salt, sugar, iron, calcium and fibre; indicate how they act as risk or protective nutrients to health
  • create a brochure/booklet aimed at youth, describing the long-term impact of too little dairy or too much salt, sugar or fat; justify why changes and good habits need to start as young as possible
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

Case study analysis: family life and the WHO prerequisites for health

Visit Gapminder’s Dollar Street webpage.

Students undertake a comparison of three families (high-, middle- and low-income). Click on a family from a country of interest and then click on the link ‘visit this home’, from here see a number of photos of tools and items found in the family’s house.

Create a list identifying the similar items in all three families’ homes and some differences in the families’ resources.

Rank the items in the home based on most important for survival to least important for survival.

Map the items found in the homes against the WHO prerequisites for health: peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice and equity.

How does having access to the prerequisites for health improve an individual’s and communities physical, social spiritual, emotional and mental health?

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