VCE HHD Question Thread!

[Joseph41]

Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu 
Also , more questions -  what is the difference between a 'define...', 'explain' and 'describe...' question? According to the dictionary all  are synonymous , but is there a specific way to answer the questions , according to these words?

Great question. There is absolutely a difference in how you should be responding to each.

Definition questions are typically worth one mark. They will be things like "Define health" or "Define sustainability"; essentially, in the template of "Define X". All you need to do is say "X refers to [whatever it refers to]." For example, "Health refers to a complete state of physical, social and mental wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Typical definitions that you may come across can be found in VCAA's Health & Human Development glossary, found in the 'Advice for teachers' document.

Describe questions are a little longer. They are sort of like definition questions, but in more depth. For this reason, they will probably be worth 2-3 marks. That is, you'll probably need to give more than just a definition to receive full marks. For example, "Describe private health insurance" is asking for more than just the definition of private health insurance; it's asking you to show that you know more.

And explain questions are typically longer still (or perhaps not longer, but more involved). If you need to explain something, it's likely to be on a single concept. For example, you wouldn't get a question that asks you to explain the concept of human development (in isolation), because there isn't really that much to say. Instead, you might get a question that asks you to explain the impact of X on Y, or how Q is funded, or why A is exemplified by B. For example, "Explain how this case study reflects the social model of health," or "Explain the impact of Medicare on health."

All the best.

[heids]

And another question,  in my textbook it says cholesterol is defined as 'a waxy , fat-like substance used by the body to build cell walls . It is neither produced in the liver or absorbed from animal fats eaten ' , according to my knowledge from Biology , isn't that supposed to be cell membranes , not cell walls? Cell walls are not in animals , and are composed of carbs, so is this like a  health way of  defining , or ?
And do you advise reading the textbook , like completely or  is it a waste of time ?

Yes, does sound wrong - but don't stress about it, you don't need to know anything like that depth (cholesterol isn't even in the HHD study design! though you should know its impact on health).

Reading the textbook completely helps get a strong understanding and is thoroughly worthwhile - I'd start learning a topic by reading the textbook.  Often you absorb things that aren't directly relevant, but help you answer better/phrase things better.  However, more importantly, summarise it very very concisely.  Most of it you don't need, and the act of summarising helps you understand what the paragraph was about.  Often you'll find that one sentence covers about 5 paragraphs!

[caitlynharbrow]

Welcome to the Health Board
This thread can be used to ask any questions about the content of Health and Human Development that you may have.

Hello I have a few questions that I need some help answering to a high standard.
Firstly what should you talk about when talking about a trend?
Secondly how would you explain the difference in health status using: biological, physical environment, social and behavioural (need an example for each)
Thank you

[heids]

Firstly what should you talk about when talking about a trend?
Secondly how would you explain the difference in health status using: biological, physical environment, social and behavioural (need an example for each)

I answered it here.
This thread (stickied question thread) is the ideal thread to post questions in

[heids]

Got a question myself, which I was never sure about last year and want to clarify in my notes.  With the NHPAs cardiovascular health, mental health, injury prevention and control, and cancer control, if asked to describe the key features, can you just describe the major disease represented in each NHPA?

e.g. This was the description I always had:
Cardiovascular health: All diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels, caused by blocked/damaged blood supply to the brain, heart and legs (including coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease).
Cancer control: Group of diseases in which some body cells become defective and... etc.

Must this explain what cardiovascular health / cancer control is to get full marks?

[Josegarang]

How tobacco smoking can cause variations in Health Status?

How biological and behavioural determinants contribute to difference between males and females for cardiovascular disease?

How changes in health care have contributed to a change in Life Expectancy in Australia.

[heids]

How tobacco smoking can cause variations in Health Status?

Tobacco smoking increases risk of lung cancer, asthma, emphysema and cardiovascular disease, so if a population group has higher rates of tobacco smoking, it's also likely to have higher mortality/morbidity rates from these conditions.

How biological and behavioural determinants contribute to difference between males and females for cardiovascular disease?

Biological:
 - body weight: males are more likely to be overweight than females, which increases their rates of CVD
 - hormones: females have oestrogen which is a protective factor against cardiovascular disease, so they have lower rates of CVD than males (before menopause)

Behavioural:
 - diet: females are more likely to eat a diet high in fruit and vegetables and lower in energy dense foods; thus they're less likely to become overweight, and may have lower blood cholesterol levels (as fibre in f&v lowers cholesterol), so have lower rates of CVD than males
 - accessing healthcare: females are more likely to access preventative healthcare (such as visiting a GP) than males, so it's more likely that high blood pressure, atherosclerosis etc. will be noticed and treated early, so females have lower mortality rates from CVD

How changes in health care have contributed to a change in Life Expectancy in Australia.

Not so sure on this one:

 - Improved technology, drugs and surgery techniques - thus more diseases can be diagnosed, treated and cured, raising LE.
 - There are increasingly more free programs, such as bowel cancer screening programs, so people are more likely to catch diseases early and are thus less likely to die from them, raising LE.
 - In the healthcare system, there's also been a shift towards the social model of health/health promotion - this means that there is more advertising of healthy behaviours (like Slip! Slop! Slap! which promotes healthy sun behaviours, anti-smoking ads, etc.) and more of a shift to the person themselves being responsible for their health.  Rather than just relying on doctors to fix us, we have been learning more to look after our own health.  Thus we're less likely to get various conditions like CVD, type 2 diabetes, skin cancer etc. and thus have a higher LE.

[Josegarang]

Thank you bangla_lok

[Smiley_]

Got a question myself, which I was never sure about last year and want to clarify in my notes.  With the NHPAs cardiovascular health, mental health, injury prevention and control, and cancer control, if asked to describe the key features, can you just describe the major disease represented in each NHPA?

e.g. This was the description I always had:
Cardiovascular health: All diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels, caused by blocked/damaged blood supply to the brain, heart and legs (including coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease).
Cancer control: Group of diseases in which some body cells become defective and... etc.

Must this explain what cardiovascular health / cancer control is to get full marks?

My teacher always told me to put a little bit more detail about what "cancer control" or "injury prevention" actually do and what the NHPA is instead of just describing what cancer is, if you do that the examiner is not going to mark you wrong (because the information is still correct and relates to question) and you have a better chance of getting the full marks

[Caesius]

Hello!
My textbook asks the following question: "How could parents encourage their children to become adequately socialised?" (social environment: early life experiences).
What does 'socialised' mean in the question?

[mnafady2006]

Just a quick question,

Is "Access to health care services" classified under the social or physical determinants of health?
It would make sense to be both and there's kind of a contradiction with different sources i'm using.

What do you guys think?

[Anchy]

Just a quick question,

Is "Access to health care services" classified under the social or physical determinants of health?
It would make sense to be both and there's kind of a contradiction with different sources i'm using.

What do you guys think?

I'd say its both, depends how you explain them.

Physical environment: If you live in a rural or remote area, you'll have trouble accessing health services in a timely manner.

Social: Being of low SES may mean you can't really afford some health services.

[purplegiraffe]

How does everyone here go about memorizing the determinant examples? (Social - SES, access to health care etc)

[TrebleClef]

How does everyone here go about memorizing the determinant examples? (Social - SES, access to health care etc)

There are a few, such as the mentioned SES and access to healthcare which are common ones which can usually be applied to a multitude of questions and situations, so as you do practice questions throughout the year and exams at the end, these will be ingrained into your minds. Apart from the physical determinants, which I for some reason had trouble coming up with on my own, the others, when I got myself to thoroughly understand their definitions( the determinants), I was able to think of examples that were suited to the question I was attempting. 

[chansena]

How does everyone here go about memorizing the determinant examples? (Social - SES, access to health care etc)

For health as it is a very content heavy subject I purchased a large white board and i would write them  out as fast as i could and time myself, and i would try beat my own personal best (this by far was the best study method i believe) I would do this as part of my revision, its sort of fun in a way too 

Maybe its worth investing in a whiteboard there only like $20 ebay

Also I would associate content i learn in health to parts of my life.

But i really recommend the whiteboard method, really helpful !