VCE HHD Question Thread!

[heids]

thanks for your help, sorry couldn't respond while AN was down!

so the take home message is:
discuss a few specific examples rather than a broad approach? or for 3 marks, 3 examples?

Y'welcome

Definitely, a few specific examples = better than broad.

I look at answering questions about the impact on health, health status, human development, SHD, global health, etc., as 'cycles'.  You have a specific structure/format for answering the question, which I like to call 'one cycle'. e.g. for the impact on health status:

By [doing something specific], X may reduce the [1-2 health status indicators] from [1-3 specific diseases].

Based on the number of marks, you repeat the cycle by changing the green chunk (which could then change the blue/red chunks in turn).

In a 2-mark HS question, for instance, if you answered appropriately they'd give you the 2 marks for either of these answer methods:
1.  2 brief cycles.
2.  1 cycle, 2x the depth.
Or if you were like me, you could explain 2 cycles in 2x the depth...

But, if you had a 3 mark question 'explain the impact of conflict on human development' they WOULD NOT expect you to do '3 cycles' (3 examples) for 3 marks; in fact if you explained one cycle in enough depth, you'd probably get 3 marks.  For a 3-mark question like that, I'd probably try and get that balance of breadth and depth by going through 2 cycles in decent depth.  But note, my cycles/examples are very specific rather than broad.

Wow, I'm such a formula person -.- hope that made vague sense

[tashhhaaa]

Y'welcome

Definitely, a few specific examples = better than broad.

I look at answering questions about the impact on health, health status, human development, SHD, global health, etc., as 'cycles'.  You have a specific structure/format for answering the question, which I like to call 'one cycle'. e.g.

By [doing something specific], X may reduce the [1-2 health status indicators] from [1-3 specific diseases].

Based on the number of marks, you repeat the cycle by changing the green chunk (which could then change the blue/red chunks in turn).

In a 2-mark HS question, for instance, if you answered appropriately they'd give you the 2 marks for either of these answer methods:
1.  2 brief cycles.
2.  1 cycle, 2x the depth.
Or if you were like me, you could explain 2 cycles in 2x the depth...

But, if you had a 3 mark question 'explain the impact of conflict on human development' they WOULD NOT expect you to do '3 cycles' (3 examples) for 3 marks; in fact if you explained one cycle in enough depth, you'd probably get 3 marks.  For a 3-mark question like that, I'd probably try and get that balance of breadth and depth by going through 2 cycles in decent depth.  But note, my cycles/examples are very specific rather than broad.

Wow, I'm such a formula person -.- hope that made vague sense

haha no worries thank you!

I'm doing really well in HHD SACs but I just have the consistent problem of writing too much/too much depth so I'm really struggling with cutting my answers down, hence that crappy example I showed you before lol 

I like this formula method & will definitely try it, thanks!

[iClinton]

No, there wouldn't be much breadth to your answer.  It's about a balance of breadth - covering more ground - and depth - explaining a few things in specific detail.  I personally prefer depth, anyway, because if you explain one thing thoroughly enough to get marks, you'll probably get more marks than listing three things, none of which deserve a mark because you didn't actually explain how the links worked.  Practise being as specific as possible, it doesn't hurt to end up writing 6 marks' worth for 3 marks to keep yourself happy (as long as it's always directly relevant to the question and isn't just listing for the sake of it and you have enough time, I always did).
As I said above, you need the link to Australia [peace --> good health] vs. developing countries [conflict --> poor health].

That's a much better answer, though, because it specifically explains all the steps in how conflict impacts health status. 

If the question asked, as it does, for health rather than health status (whoops my bad last night for giving an HS example), you'd have to say stuff like:
> conflict ---> injury and water-borne disease ---> poor physical health
> conflict ---> death and tearing apart of families ---> poor mental health
> conflict ---> illness, injury or imprisonment ---> can't interact/participate as much ---> poor social health
If it asks for health, the answer you gave would NOT score full marks imo.  Life expectancy is totally irrelevant, you need to link to PMS.

Also, your first sentence probably isn't the best, being quite vague and generalised.  Your aim is to start the examiner off with a good impression, rather than starting them off thinking that you can't answer the question properly.  Sure, you'd still probably get full marks for this answer (it's good), but cut anything vague/too listy or at least put it further into your answer, rather than at the start.

how's this answer ?
Australia has peace and thus promotes good health, whereas developing countries may face conflict arising from political instability, and thus negatively impacting on health status. Conflict increases the risk of physical injury and destroys local infrastructure, which limits people’s access to healthcare and food supplies. As a result, malnutrition is increased and preventable conditions such as injuries and infections are left untreated, which can increase morbidity and mortality rates, decreasing life expectancy and thus impacting on health status.

[tashhhaaa]

Hiiii,

If asked to 'Describe child mortality and morbidity as a key health indicator of HDI and explain how these indicators vary between a developed and developing country', would a suitable approach be to define the two terms and then discuss?

I'm stuck on this question because the indicators of the HDI don't include U5MR and morbidity...

Or is the question just asking me to relate these terms to an indicator such as life expectancy at birth?

Thanks

[heids]

how's this answer ?
Australia has peace and thus promotes good health, whereas developing countries may face conflict arising from political instability, and thus negatively impacting on health status. Conflict increases the risk of physical injury and destroys local infrastructure, which limits people’s access to healthcare and food supplies. As a result, malnutrition is increased and preventable conditions such as injuries and infections are left untreated, which can increase morbidity and mortality rates, decreasing life expectancy and thus impacting on health status.

Perfect

If asked to 'Describe child mortality and morbidity as a key health indicator of HDI and explain how these indicators vary between a developed and developing country', would a suitable approach be to define the two terms and then discuss?

I'm stuck on this question because the indicators of the HDI don't include U5MR and morbidity...

Or is the question just asking me to relate these terms to an indicator such as life expectancy at birth?

Pretty bad question, you wouldn't get something so poorly worded on a VCAA exam.  It could just be a mistake, where HDI was meant to say 'health status' (even then not a great question).

Yeah, you're pretty right.  I'd link U5MR to LE (if you have high U5MR, that obviously has a really big impact on LE - but morbidity doesn't link at all!) and link that to the HDI, then define U5MR and morbidity, and then explain how they vary between developed and developing countries.  Bad question though, where did you get it from?

[iClinton]

Thanks
Another question
How can gender equality affect health status of those in developing countries -
Gender equality refers to men and women experiencing equal rights and opportunities. Australia experiences gender equality and thus promotes good health. Whereas on the other hand, women in developing countries generally experiences gender inequality. Women generally have to abide by their father's or husband's decisions. Violence may result if the women challenges the male's authority. In addition, it is socially acceptable for males in developing countries to have several sexual partners and not use protection with any of them. Consequently, women are at an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted infection therefore decreasing life expectancy.

[heids]

Thanks
Another question
How can gender equality affect health status of those in developing countries -
Gender equality refers to men and women experiencing equal rights and opportunities. Australia experiences gender equality and thus promotes good health. Whereas on the other hand, women in developing countries generally experiences gender inequality. Women generally have to abide by their father's or husband's decisions. Violence may result if the women challenges the male's authority. In addition, it is socially acceptable for males in developing countries to have several sexual partners and not use protection with any of them. Consequently, women are at an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted infection therefore decreasing life expectancy.

Bit pickier with this one!  Firstly, it said 'in developing countries', so you don't have to refer to Australia; nor do you have to define gender equality, because you'll give examples of it later.  Yeah, HHD's about waffle, but getting straight to the point is important.  I'd dive straight in with:

'Women in developing countries often experience gender inequality, such as... [domestic violence, having less access to education, etc.] '

Also, from 'in addition' onwards, it's not directly related to gender equality, because if males have several sexual partners, they'll get STIs just as much as the females, so it's not exactly gender inequality - a bit shaky.

Other things you could say instead (and yes, using multiple examples is generally good, unless it's a 2-mark question):
> women have less access to education --> less employable (or work more labour-intensive jobs) --> lower income --> can't afford healthcare, food etc.
> less access to medical treatment and are given food last --> malnutrition, increased mortality from common diseases
> young marriage and childbirth --> increases risk of death/injury in childbirth (a girl's undeveloped body has increased risk of obstetric fistula and obstructed births)

[iClinton]

Bit pickier with this one!  Firstly, it said 'in developing countries', so you don't have to refer to Australia; nor do you have to define gender equality, because you'll give examples of it later.  Yeah, HHD's about waffle, but getting straight to the point is important.  I'd dive straight in with:

'Women in developing countries often experience gender inequality, such as... [domestic violence, having less access to education, etc.] '

Also, from 'in addition' onwards, it's not directly related to gender equality, because if males have several sexual partners, they'll get STIs just as much as the females, so it's not exactly gender inequality - a bit shaky.

Other things you could say instead (and yes, using multiple examples is generally good, unless it's a 2-mark question):
> women have less access to education --> less employable (or work more labour-intensive jobs) --> lower income --> can't afford healthcare, food etc.
> less access to medical treatment and are given food last --> malnutrition, increased mortality from common diseases
> young marriage and childbirth --> increases risk of death/injury in childbirth (a girl's undeveloped body has increased risk of obstetric fistula and obstructed births)

Thanks for your feedback

Similar question for income - how can income affect those in developing countries
Income refers to the amount of money an individual earns or receive as welfare payments (I like defining key words, i know you dont have to define some key words) Many people in developing countries have low incomes. Fast foods are cheaper to purchase than some nutrient dense food. People in developing countries are therefore more likely to eat fast food since it's more affordable. This would contribute to increased rates of obesity which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Consequently, impacting on health status by decreasing life expectancy of those in developing countries.

[iClinton]

Bit pickier with this one!  Firstly, it said 'in developing countries', so you don't have to refer to Australia; nor do you have to define gender equality, because you'll give examples of it later.  Yeah, HHD's about waffle, but getting straight to the point is important.  I'd dive straight in with:

'Women in developing countries often experience gender inequality, such as... [domestic violence, having less access to education, etc.] '

Also, from 'in addition' onwards, it's not directly related to gender equality, because if males have several sexual partners, they'll get STIs just as much as the females, so it's not exactly gender inequality - a bit shaky.

Other things you could say instead (and yes, using multiple examples is generally good, unless it's a 2-mark question):
> women have less access to education --> less employable (or work more labour-intensive jobs) --> lower income --> can't afford healthcare, food etc.
> less access to medical treatment and are given food last --> malnutrition, increased mortality from common diseases
> young marriage and childbirth --> increases risk of death/injury in childbirth (a girl's undeveloped body has increased risk of obstetric fistula and obstructed births)

Improved answer :
Women in developing countries generally experience gender inequality, such as domestic violence and having less access to education compared to males. Less access to education results in less employment rates or women may work in more labour-intensive jobs resulting in lower income. As a result of lower income, women may not be able to afford nutritious food and in addition, may not be able to have access to healthcare. This would increase to malnutrition and preventable conditions such as infections are left untreated as women may not have access to healthcare. Therefore mortality and morbidity rates are increased, leading to decrease in life expectancy and negatively impacting on health status.

[heids]

Thanks for your feedback

Similar question for income - how can income affect those in developing countries
Income refers to the amount of money an individual earns or receive as welfare payments (I like defining key words, i know you dont have to define some key words) Many people in developing countries have low incomes. Fast foods are cheaper to purchase than some nutrient dense food. People in developing countries are therefore more likely to eat fast food since it's more affordable. This would contribute to increased rates of obesity which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Consequently, impacting on health status by decreasing life expectancy of those in developing countries.

Yeah, I'd break your key-word-defining habit as it doesn't answer the question (unless that's what question asks you to do, of course).  Do you want the first sentence the examiners read to always be a 0-mark sentence?  If you ONLY write stuff that earns marks, it'll really stand out so they can't help giving you the marks.  Also, it wastes your time so you don't have as long to spend on stuff that does get marks.

Cutting out the first sentence, this is a decent response, but you could choose better examples to explain (among other things, I'm not sure that it's true that fast food is more affordable, and while double burden of disease is an issue, in developing countries malnutrition is more of an issue than becoming overweight).  It'd be more relevant to discuss low income = can't afford healthcare, adequate food/nutrition, sanitation, etc.  Since you can link all of these - healthcare, food and sanitation - to health status, that's better.

Improved answer :
Women in developing countries generally experience gender inequality, such as domestic violence and having less access to education compared to males. Less access to education results in less employment rates or women may work in more labour-intensive jobs resulting in lower income. As a result of lower income, women may not be able to afford nutritious food and in addition, may not be able to have access to healthcare. This would increase to malnutrition and preventable conditions such as infections are left untreated as women may not have access to healthcare. Therefore mortality and morbidity rates are increased, leading to decrease in life expectancy and negatively impacting on health status.

Great

[tashhhaaa]

Perfect
Pretty bad question, you wouldn't get something so poorly worded on a VCAA exam.  It could just be a mistake, where HDI was meant to say 'health status' (even then not a great question).

Yeah, you're pretty right.  I'd link U5MR to LE (if you have high U5MR, that obviously has a really big impact on LE - but morbidity doesn't link at all!) and link that to the HDI, then define U5MR and morbidity, and then explain how they vary between developed and developing countries.  Bad question though, where did you get it from?

Thanks )

I knew it was dodgy lol, it was from this revision sheet I got from my teacher! Not sure if she made it up or not, but I think it may be from the Cambridge text book (we use the Jacaranda one)

[sunshine98]

When study design says: 
--similarities and differences in health status and human development between developing countries and Australia in relation to morbidity, mortality, life expectancy, burden of disease and human development index
does this simply relate to interpreting data  or is there content that needs to be known ?

Thanks 

[heids]

When study design says: 
--similarities and differences in health status and human development between developing countries and Australia in relation to morbidity, mortality, life expectancy, burden of disease and human development index
does this simply relate to interpreting data  or is there content that needs to be known ?

Thanks 

Interpreting data.  Well, you have to know that Aus has lower morbidity/mortality/BOD rates, and higher LE and HDI, but that's ultra obvious.  Plus you should know stuff like how having a higher HDI leads to higher human development, and that developing countries have higher mortality from communicable diseases while Aus has more NCDs.

So, don't learn any data - but you'll have to be able to explain why this difference exists (i.e. use the seven factors).

[girl1234]

I am not exactly sure what to do when questions ask for a comparison between Australia and a developing country in relation to the 7 factors.
Eg:
- How does global marketing affect the health status of Australia and developing countries?
 and
- How does peace/political stability affect the health status of Australia and developing countries?

( i find these two the hardest to grasp - with global marketing in the developing world, i find it hard to understand that they can't afford basic nutritional needs and clean water, but they market tobacco and fast food in some countries? )

Hope i made sense

[girl1234]

Also, up until know, when a question asks about health we relate it to the Physical, Mental and Social. Is this the same in unit 4 if a question asks about health??