§-Module

NSWHealth and Movement Science← Health and Movement Science syllabus

Focus Area 1: Health in an Australian and global context

15 dot points across 15 inquiry questions, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

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

Health promotion, prevention and advocacy. Explains the Ottawa Charter's five action areas, distinguishes primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, and analyses advocacy through named Australian programs including Cancer Council tobacco control, the Heart Foundation, beyondblue and DrinkWise.

9 min read →

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

UN Sustainable Development Goals as a global health framework. Lists the health-relevant SDGs, applies SDG 3 to a current global health issue, and analyses Australia's aid and policy contribution.

8 min read →

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

A focused HSC Health and Movement Science answer comparing Australia's health status with other OECD countries. Covers Australia's rankings on life expectancy, mortality, overweight and obesity and health expenditure as a share of GDP, why some countries rank higher or lower, and the lessons for Australia.

9 min read →

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

Australia's priority health conditions - cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Covers mortality and morbidity, prevalence and incidence, risk and protective factors, and which population groups and places these conditions affect, using AIHW-style data with years.

10 min read →

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

HSC Health and Movement Science Focus Area 1 sub-topic on health status. Defines life expectancy, mortality, morbidity, burden of disease, incidence and prevalence; uses current AIHW data and compares Australia to the OECD; identifies the leading causes of burden in 2026.

9 min read →

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

Technology, digital health and big data. Covers My Health Record, Medicare-funded telehealth, wearables and continuous glucose monitors, AI in diagnostics, the Atlas of Healthcare Variation, plus the data-privacy and digital-divide equity questions these technologies raise.

9 min read →

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

Australia's ageing population. Covers the demographic shift with current ABS/AIHW data, healthy ageing, the opportunities and challenges, and the current and future strategies governments and NGOs must weigh.

10 min read →

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

Health expenditure. Covers treatment versus prevention spending, sustainability, access and equity, and the main funding arrangements (Medicare, the MBS and PBS, private health insurance, and Commonwealth-funded programs), with current AIHW-style figures.

10 min read →

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

Health inequalities and priority populations. Distinguishes inequalities from inequities, identifies who is designated a priority population in Australia, explains how priority status is decided, and contrasts targeted versus universal approaches with named programs.

9 min read →

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

Determinants of health. Defines individual, sociocultural, socioeconomic and environmental determinants; explains how they cluster and interact; applies the framework to a named Australian priority population.

9 min read →

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

Structure and funding of Australia's health care system. Covers Medicare, the PBS, public and private hospitals, primary care, allied health, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services with their funding flows and respective roles.

9 min read →

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

How federal, state/territory and local government, and the private and not-for-profit sectors, share responsibility and collaborate to deliver person-centred, coordinated health care. Covers each sector's role, what person-centred care means (the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights), and how care is coordinated.

9 min read →

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

Equity and access to health care in Australia. Distinguishes equity from equality, maps the main barriers (geographic, financial, cultural, language, time, digital), and reviews strategies including bulk-billing incentives, the Aboriginal Health Worker model, RFDS, telehealth and refugee health services.

9 min read →

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

Complementary and alternative healthcare. Defines CAM products and services, maps their roles in prevention, treatment and as a supplement to conventional care, and applies a critical-consumer, evidence-based lens (validity, reliability, regulation) to judge their value.

9 min read →

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)

Being a critical health consumer. Covers whom to believe, what to know, and a repeatable framework for judging the accuracy and credibility of health information, products and services, including online and social-media health claims.

9 min read →