Health Promotion Models and Approaches - TCE Health Studies (Tasmania) - Level 3 pre-tertiary
“Compare models of health and evaluate the effectiveness of health promotion approaches”
Health promotion can be understood through competing models. The biomedical model focuses on diagnosing and treating illness in individuals, while the social model addresses the broad determinants and aims to prevent illness and reduce inequity. Common promotion approaches include health education, social marketing, regulation and legislation, screening, and community development. Effective strategies usually combine approaches, target the determinants, reach disadvantaged groups, and are evaluated against measurable outcomes.
What this dot point is asking
This dot point asks you to compare the major models of health, especially the biomedical and social models, and to evaluate different health promotion approaches. You need to weigh strengths and limitations and judge what makes a strategy effective for a given population and issue.
The biomedical model
The biomedical model views health as the absence of disease and concentrates on the body, diagnosis, treatment and cure. It is delivered largely by health professionals in clinical settings and has driven major advances such as vaccines, surgery and medication. Its strengths are rapid technical progress and effective treatment of acute conditions. Its limitations are that it can be costly, can focus on illness rather than prevention, and can overlook the social and environmental causes of poor health.
The social model
The social model of health responds to those limitations. It addresses the broader determinants of health, emphasises prevention, promotes equity and access, encourages community participation, and supports intersectoral action across government and society. Rather than asking only how to treat disease, it asks why some groups become sick more often and how the conditions producing illness can be changed.
The social model of health is an approach that focuses on improving health by acting on the social, economic and environmental determinants, reducing inequities, and involving communities, rather than concentrating only on clinical treatment of individuals.
Approaches to health promotion
Within these models, several practical approaches are used. Knowing their strengths helps you evaluate.
- Health education and information: building knowledge and skills, for example sun safety lessons. Useful but often weak on its own because knowledge does not always change behaviour.
- Social marketing: using advertising techniques to shift attitudes and behaviour, such as anti smoking campaigns. Reaches large audiences but can be costly and may not reach the most disadvantaged.
- Regulation and legislation: laws and rules such as mandatory bicycle helmets or alcohol limits. Powerful and population wide, but can face political resistance.
- Screening and early detection: programs such as cancer screening that find disease early. Effective for some conditions but raises questions of access and equity.
- Community development: communities identify and act on their own priorities. Builds capacity and ownership but can be slow.
Judging effectiveness
To evaluate a strategy, ask a consistent set of questions. Does it address the underlying determinants or only the symptoms. Does it reach the groups with the greatest need, supporting equity. Does it combine several approaches and action areas. Is there evidence of measurable change, such as a fall in disease rates or risk behaviour. Is it sustainable and affordable over time. A strategy that scores well across these tests is more likely to be effective than one relying on a single approach.
The biomedical model treats illness in individuals; the social model prevents illness by acting on determinants and inequity. The two are complementary, and a strong health system uses both rather than choosing one.
Equity as a measure of success
A central idea in Health Studies is that good health promotion narrows the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. A campaign that improves average health but widens inequity, because it mainly reaches those already well off, is a weaker result. When you evaluate, always check whether benefits reach priority populations such as people in rural areas, low income households and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Applying this in assessment
In responses, define the model or approach, give a clear example, then evaluate using the criteria above. Comparison questions reward balanced judgement: state the strength, state the limitation, and reach a reasoned conclusion about which approach or combination best suits the issue and population in the scenario.
A high-tariff question asks you to evaluate one or more approaches for a given issue. Work through it in this order so the judgement is grounded, not asserted.
Name the issue and the approach
State the issue, for example reducing youth vaping, and the approach you will judge, for example regulation and legislation such as restricting supply and banning advertising. A specific pairing keeps the evaluation concrete.
Apply the evaluation criteria
Test the approach against each criterion: does it act on the determinants (yes, it changes access and the marketing environment), does it reach high need groups (population wide, so it does not depend on income or literacy), does it combine with other approaches (it works best alongside education and quit support), and is there evidence of change (falling uptake where supply is restricted).
State strengths and limitations explicitly
Strength: powerful and population wide, shifting behaviour across whole groups regardless of individual motivation. Limitation: political resistance and it does not build the skills or address the emotional drivers behind use, so on its own it is incomplete.
Reach a reasoned conclusion
Conclude with a judgement: regulation is effective for shifting the environment but is strongest combined with education and support, and check that benefits reach priority populations so the approach narrows rather than widens inequity.
Students sometimes argue the social model replaces the biomedical model and that treatment no longer matters. The two models work together. Hospitals and medicines remain essential; the social model simply adds prevention and action on determinants. Present them as complementary, not as opposites.
Understanding these models and approaches lets you evaluate any campaign or policy you meet later in the course and explain why some strategies achieve lasting, equitable improvement while others do not.
Exam-style questions
Questions in the style of TASC exam questions on this dot point, each with a worked answer. They are written by ExamExplained unless tagged "Past paper"; the year shows the paper a question is modelled on.
Practice6 marksCompare the biomedical model and the social model of health. In your answer, refer to the focus of each model and one strength and one limitation of each.Show worked answer →
A 6 mark compare response needs the focus, a strength and a limitation of each model, drawn into an explicit comparison rather than two separate descriptions.
- Biomedical model (about 3 marks)
- Focus: diagnosing, treating and curing disease in individuals, delivered by health professionals in clinical settings. Strength: rapid technical progress and effective treatment of acute conditions such as infection or injury. Limitation: it can be costly and reactive, treating illness after it appears rather than preventing it, and it can overlook social and environmental causes.
- Social model (about 3 marks)
- Focus: acting on the broad determinants of health, prevention, equity and community participation. Strength: it can prevent illness and reduce inequities by changing the conditions that produce poor health. Limitation: change is slower, harder to measure and depends on action across many sectors.
- Comparison
- State that the models are complementary, not opposites: the biomedical model treats illness while the social model prevents it, and a strong health system uses both.
Markers reward a genuine comparison with focus, strength and limitation for each model, not two unconnected descriptions.
Practice8 marksEvaluate the effectiveness of two different health promotion approaches in addressing a health issue of your choice.Show worked answer →
An 8 mark evaluate response needs a named issue, two distinct approaches, and a judgement of each against clear criteria.
- Frame the issue (about 1 mark)
- Choose a concrete issue such as reducing smoking or skin cancer, so the approaches are specific.
- Approach 1 (about 3 marks)
- Regulation and legislation, for example tobacco taxes and advertising bans. Strength: population wide and powerful, shifting behaviour across whole groups. Limitation: political resistance and it does not build individual skills or reach every motivation to smoke.
- Approach 2 (about 3 marks)
- Social marketing, for example anti smoking campaigns. Strength: reaches large audiences and shifts attitudes. Limitation: costly and may not reach the most disadvantaged, and knowledge alone does not always change behaviour.
- Judgement (about 1 mark)
- Conclude that the approaches are most effective combined, with regulation changing the environment while social marketing and education shift attitudes, and check whether benefits reach priority populations so equity improves.
Markers reward evaluation against criteria (reach, equity, evidence of change, sustainability) and a reasoned conclusion, not description of each approach.