Discuss the benefits and challenges of using health apps to improve the health status of young Australians. (6 marks)
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- [P] A key advantage is the accessibility of mental health support for young Australians.
- [E] Health apps provide 24/7 assistance that aligns with young people’s digital preferences and removes traditional healthcare barriers.
- [Ev] For example, Beyond Now offers immediate crisis planning for suicidal thoughts, while FoodSwitch enables healthier eating through barcode scanning.
- [L] This accessibility directly improves health outcomes by meeting young people where they are most comfortable – on their devices.
- [P] However, this must be weighed against the credibility crisis in health apps.
- [E] The overwhelming number of apps (estimated at 200k+ globally) makes it difficult for young users to distinguish quality health tools from harmful ones.
- [Ev] Social media influencers promote unverified apps similar to how e-cigarette marketing targets youth, often normalising risky behaviours.
- [L] These issues undermine the potential health benefits.
- [P] Despite these challenges, properly vetted apps offer significant potential for youth health improvement.
- [E] When young people do access quality-assured apps, these tools effectively complement traditional healthcare services, particularly for prevention and early intervention.
- [Ev] Mental health apps provide crucial early support for conditions like anxiety and depression, which affect almost half of females aged 16-24.
- [L] This demonstrates that health apps can meaningfully improve young Australians’ health status when quality and access barriers are overcome.
Show Worked Solution
- [P] A key advantage is the accessibility of mental health support for young Australians.
- [E] Health apps provide 24/7 assistance that aligns with young people’s digital preferences and removes traditional healthcare barriers.
- [Ev] For example, Beyond Now offers immediate crisis planning for suicidal thoughts, while FoodSwitch enables healthier eating through barcode scanning.
- [L] This accessibility directly improves health outcomes by meeting young people where they are most comfortable – on their devices.
- [P] However, this must be weighed against the credibility crisis in health apps.
- [E] The overwhelming number of apps (estimated at 200k+ globally) makes it difficult for young users to distinguish quality health tools from harmful ones.
- [Ev] Social media influencers promote unverified apps similar to how e-cigarette marketing targets youth, often normalising risky behaviours.
- [L] These issues undermine the potential health benefits.
- [P] Despite these challenges, properly vetted apps offer significant potential for youth health improvement.
- [E] When young people do access quality-assured apps, these tools effectively complement traditional healthcare services, particularly for prevention and early intervention.
- [Ev] Mental health apps provide crucial early support for conditions like anxiety and depression, which affect almost half of females aged 16-24.
- [L] This demonstrates that health apps can meaningfully improve young Australians’ health status when quality and access barriers are overcome.