§-Health and Movement Science syllabus
NSW · NESA← Health and Movement Science
Health and Movement Science syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the NSW Health and Movement Science syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Focus Area 1: Health in an Australian and global context
Module overview →What impact does an ageing population have on Australia's health?
Investigate the impact of an ageing population on Australia's health, including the demographic shift, healthy ageing, and the opportunities and challenges it presents for individuals, communities and the health-care system
How is Australian health care structured, funded and delivered?
Examine the structure, funding and roles of Australia's health care system, including Medicare, the PBS, public and private hospitals, primary care, allied health, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
How do complementary and alternative healthcare approaches contribute to the health of Australians?
Evaluate complementary and alternative healthcare approaches as products and services - their roles in prevention, treatment and as a supplement to conventional care - and the evidence a critical consumer should weigh
Why is it important to be a critical health consumer, and how do you judge the accuracy and credibility of health information, products and services?
Evaluate the importance of being a critical health consumer, including whom to believe, what to know, and how to assess the accuracy and credibility of health information, products and services (including online and social-media health claims)
How do the determinants of health create and maintain inequities?
Analyse the determinants of health (individual, sociocultural, socioeconomic, environmental) and how they interact to create health inequities in the Australian population
Why does universal coverage in Australia still leave some groups with worse access to health care?
Assess equity of access to health care in Australia, including barriers faced by priority populations and the strategies designed to overcome them
How does the way Australia spends on health affect the health of current and future populations?
Analyse health expenditure and its impact on the health of current and future populations, including the balance between treatment and prevention, and the sustainability, access and equity of funding arrangements
Why do health outcomes differ between population groups in Australia, and who is prioritised?
Analyse health inequalities between population groups in Australia and explain why specific groups are designated priority populations
How does Australia promote health, prevent disease, and advocate for healthier conditions?
Explain health promotion using the Ottawa Charter, distinguish primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, and analyse the role of advocacy in shaping Australian health outcomes
What is the health status of Australians, and how is it measured?
Investigate the health status of Australians using measures such as life expectancy, mortality, morbidity, burden of disease, incidence and prevalence, and compare to global indicators
How does the health status of Australians compare with that of people in other countries?
Compare the health status of Australians with that of selected OECD countries using indicators such as life expectancy, mortality, overweight and obesity, and health expenditure, and explain the reasons for the differences
How do government and non-government organisations share responsibility and collaborate to provide person-centred health care?
Examine how government and non-government organisations share responsibility and collaborate to provide person-centred health care, including the roles of the federal, state/territory and local governments, and the private and not-for-profit sectors
What are the priority health conditions in Australia, and who do they affect?
Investigate priority health conditions in Australia (including cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes) in terms of mortality and morbidity, prevalence and incidence, risk and protective factors, and the population groups and places in which these conditions are changing
How do the Sustainable Development Goals frame global health, and how does Australia contribute?
Explain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relevant to health and apply them to a current global health issue and Australia's role
How are technology, digital health and big data reshaping Australian health care, and who benefits?
Investigate how technology, digital health and big data influence health outcomes, access and equity in Australia
Focus Area 2: Training for improved performance
Module overview →How can biomechanical principles be applied to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of movement?
Examine biomechanical principles (motion, balance and stability, force, levers, projectile motion, fluid mechanics) and apply them to improving sporting technique
How is a single training session structured so that it is safe, effective and matched to its purpose?
Design a training session, justifying the structure (warm-up, conditioning/skill phase, cool-down), the work-to-rest and intensity decisions, and the safety and monitoring strategies used
What are performance-enhancing drugs, what risks do they pose, and how is doping detected and regulated?
Investigate performance-enhancing drugs and doping in sport, including the main drug classes and their effects, the risks to athlete health and to the integrity of sport, detection and testing, the anti-doping regulatory framework (WADA, Sport Integrity Australia, the Prohibited List, sanctions) and the ethics of doping
How do energy systems and training types interact to produce performance adaptations?
Analyse the three energy systems (ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolysis, aerobic) and the training types that target each, with reference to specific sporting contexts
How is a training program designed, monitored and adjusted to meet a performance goal?
Apply a needs analysis, the FITT principle and the principles of training to design, sequence, progress and evaluate a training program for a specific athlete and goal
How are valid and reliable fitness tests selected and used to assess performance and prescribe training?
Select and justify valid, reliable fitness and performance tests for the components of fitness, and use the results to set baselines and prescribe training
How are sports injuries prevented, rehabilitated, and managed back to play?
Investigate sports injury prevention, rehabilitation, and return-to-play decisions, including risk factors, evidence-based warm-up protocols, rehabilitation phases, return-to-play criteria, and concussion management
How do coaches monitor, record and evaluate training to know whether the program is working?
Examine the tools and methods used to monitor, record and evaluate training load and performance, and explain how the resulting data informs program decisions
How do nutrition, hydration, supplementation and sleep support training adaptation and performance?
Analyse the role of nutrition, hydration, supplementation and sleep in supporting training adaptation, performance and recovery, with reference to evidence-based recommendations
What physiological adaptations occur in response to training, and over what timeframe?
Investigate acute physiological responses (cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular) and chronic adaptations to aerobic and resistance training
How do we screen and stratify a client before prescribing exercise, and when must we refer them on?
Investigate pre-exercise screening, risk stratification and informed consent as the duty-of-care steps that precede a safe exercise prescription
How do the principles of training inform program design?
Apply the principles of training (specificity, progressive overload, reversibility, variety, individuality, recovery) to design a training program for a specific performance goal
How do psychological strategies enhance an athlete's performance and motivation?
Investigate psychological strategies used to enhance motivation and manage arousal and anxiety (goal-setting, mental rehearsal, self-talk, concentration and relaxation techniques) and apply them to a chosen performance context
How do recovery strategies support adaptation, manage fatigue and improve performance?
Investigate physiological, neural, tissue and psychological recovery strategies and evaluate the evidence base for managing fatigue and overtraining
How is sporting skill acquired, and what makes practice and feedback most effective?
Investigate skill acquisition through the stages of learning, types of practice, types of feedback, and the role of coaching cues; apply the principles to a chosen sporting context
How do athletes and coaches develop and adapt strategies and tactics to improve performance?
Investigate how strategies and tactics, informed by opponent analysis and performance data, are developed and adapted to improve performance
How are training principles applied to develop strength, power, speed and flexibility, and how are these combined for team-sport athletes?
Examine training methods for strength, power, speed and flexibility, and design a periodised plan that integrates these capacities for a chosen athlete
How does technology shape performance, and what ethical and equity issues does it raise?
Investigate the role of technology in performance enhancement, including training monitoring tools, performance-enhancing drugs and anti-doping, technological doping, and the ethical and equity issues these raise across athlete populations
How is training structured across a year so that an athlete peaks for a target competition?
Structure a yearly training program using periodisation (macrocycle, mesocycle, microcycle) and the training phases to manage load, fatigue and recovery and to peak for a target competition