smc-5805-10-Education

HMS, HIC 2016 HSC 3 MC

Which of the following is an example of a socioeconomic determinant that influences the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?

Racism from peers and the community
Remoteness of some of their communities
Lower completion rate of Year 12 education
Lack of access to appropriate health services

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\(C\)

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C is correct: Education completion rates are a socioeconomic characteristic affecting health outcomes.

Other Options:

A is incorrect: This is a sociocultural determinant, not socioeconomic.
B is incorrect: This is an environmental/geographical determinant.
D is incorrect: This is an environmental/access determinant.

HMS, HIC 2021 HSC 28b

Analyse how socioeconomic and environmental determinants can contribute to TWO major health issues affecting young people. (12 marks)

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Overview Statement

Socioeconomic and environmental determinants interact significantly with mental health and substance use among young people.
These relationships create complex pathways that amplify health risks through multiple interconnected social and environmental factors.

Component Relationship 1: Mental Health

Low socioeconomic status directly influences young people’s mental health through reduced access to psychological services and increased family stress.
Educational disadvantage is associated with limited future employment prospects, which creates anxiety about economic security.
Environmental factors interact with these socioeconomic pressures when young people live in areas with poor infrastructure, limited recreational facilities and high crime rates.
Geographic isolation compounds mental health challenges by restricting access to counselling services, youth programs and peer support networks.
For instance, rural youth may wait months for specialist appointments while urban disadvantaged youth cannot afford private counselling/psychology sessions.
These combined determinants result in higher rates of depression and anxiety among disadvantaged youth because they face multiple stressors simultaneously without adequate coping resources.

Component Relationship 2: Substance Use

Socioeconomic disadvantage creates pathways to substance use through peer group influences and limited parental supervision.
Low family income correlates with parents working multiple jobs, reducing parental monitoring and increasing unsupervised time for risky behaviours.
Environmental determinants amplify these risks when young people live in areas with high availability of alcohol, cannabis and other substances.
Geographic location affects substance use patterns, with rural youth often experiencing higher alcohol consumption rates due to social isolation and limited recreational alternatives.
Additionally, disadvantaged urban areas often have greater drug accessibility and normalised substance use cultures.
The relationship between these determinants demonstrates how economic stress combines with environmental factors to increase vulnerability to substance experimentation and dependency.

Implications and Synthesis

These determinant relationships reveal that health issues among young people result from interconnected social and environmental systems rather than individual choices alone.
Effective interventions must therefore address multiple determinant levels simultaneously to achieve meaningful health improvements.

Show Worked Solution

Overview Statement

Socioeconomic and environmental determinants interact significantly with mental health and substance use among young people.
These relationships create complex pathways that amplify health risks through multiple interconnected social and environmental factors.

Component Relationship 1: Mental Health

Low socioeconomic status directly influences young people’s mental health through reduced access to psychological services and increased family stress.
Educational disadvantage is associated with limited future employment prospects, which creates anxiety about economic security.
Environmental factors interact with these socioeconomic pressures when young people live in areas with poor infrastructure, limited recreational facilities and high crime rates.
Geographic isolation compounds mental health challenges by restricting access to counselling services, youth programs and peer support networks.
For instance, rural youth may wait months for specialist appointments while urban disadvantaged youth cannot afford private counselling/psychology sessions.
These combined determinants result in higher rates of depression and anxiety among disadvantaged youth because they face multiple stressors simultaneously without adequate coping resources.

Component Relationship 2: Substance Use

Socioeconomic disadvantage creates pathways to substance use through peer group influences and limited parental supervision.
Low family income correlates with parents working multiple jobs, reducing parental monitoring and increasing unsupervised time for risky behaviours.
Environmental determinants amplify these risks when young people live in areas with high availability of alcohol, cannabis and other substances.
Geographic location affects substance use patterns, with rural youth often experiencing higher alcohol consumption rates due to social isolation and limited recreational alternatives.
Additionally, disadvantaged urban areas often have greater drug accessibility and normalised substance use cultures.
The relationship between these determinants demonstrates how economic stress combines with environmental factors to increase vulnerability to substance experimentation and dependency.

Implications and Synthesis

These determinant relationships reveal that health issues among young people result from interconnected social and environmental systems rather than individual choices alone.
Effective interventions must therefore address multiple determinant levels simultaneously to achieve meaningful health improvements.

♦♦ Mean mark 35%.

HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 119

Describe an inequity related to socioeconomic factors of health in Australia and suggest ways in which it could be addressed. (4 marks)

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Sample answer:

An inequity related to socioeconomic factors is the significant gap in educational attainment between Australians from high and low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Only 60% of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds complete Year 12 compared to 90% from high socioeconomic backgrounds.
This educational inequity leads to reduced employment opportunities, lower income, and poorer health outcomes.

Strategies to address this issue could include:

Targeted early intervention programs in disadvantaged schools.
Financial support for low-income families for educational costs.
Mentoring programs connecting disadvantaged students with educational and career pathways.

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Sample answer:

An inequity related to socioeconomic factors is the significant gap in educational attainment between Australians from high and low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Only 60% of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds complete Year 12 compared to 90% from high socioeconomic backgrounds.
This educational inequity leads to reduced employment opportunities, lower income, and poorer health outcomes.

Strategies to address this issue could include:

Targeted early intervention programs in disadvantaged schools.
Financial support for low-income families for educational costs.
Mentoring programs connecting disadvantaged students with educational and career pathways.

HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 112

Analyse how socioeconomic determinants contribute to health inequities experienced by young Australians. (8 marks)

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*PEEL – Solution is structured using an adjusted PEEL method; [P] Identify components and their relationship, [E] explain the interaction/influence between them, [Ev] provide evidence showing the relationship in action, [L] linking sentence back to question.

[P] Education quality and parental income operate together to shape health outcomes.
[E] The relationship between school resources and family wealth shows disadvantaged students receive less health education due to this combination of factors.
[Ev] Low-income schools lack nutrition programs and sports facilities, resulting in higher obesity rates.
[L] This interaction demonstrates how education systematically compounds existing socioeconomic health gaps.
[P] Employment instability connects directly to mental health challenges and physical wellbeing.
[E] Casual work is associated with increased stress due to unpredictable work schedules, income insecurity and limited sick leave.
[Ev] Young people in this type of work report anxiety at double the rate of permanent employees and frequently delay medical appointments.
[L] This establishes a cause-effect pattern linking casual work to deteriorating psychological and physical health.
[P] Housing affordability influences an individual’s physical environment and other social health determinants.
[E] The interplay between rental stress and living conditions shows young people sacrifice health necessities for shelter.
[Ev] 40% of young renters live in overcrowded, mouldy housing, causing respiratory issues and social isolation.
[L] These elements combine to produce environment-driven health inequities affecting multiple dimensions.
[P] Digital access functions through the interaction of income, location and education.
[E] This component can influence health information access, telehealth participation and social connections.
[Ev] Rural youth without reliable internet miss 50% more mental health appointments than urban peers.
[L] The broader impact shows technology barriers compound existing disadvantages, creating deeper health divides.

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[P] Education quality and parental income operate together to shape health outcomes.
[E] The relationship between school resources and family wealth shows disadvantaged students receive less health education due to this combination of factors.
[Ev] Low-income schools lack nutrition programs and sports facilities, resulting in higher obesity rates.
[L] This interaction demonstrates how education systematically compounds existing socioeconomic health gaps.
[P] Employment instability connects directly to mental health challenges and physical wellbeing.
[E] Casual work is associated with increased stress due to unpredictable work schedules, income insecurity and limited sick leave.
[Ev] Young people in this type of work report anxiety at double the rate of permanent employees and frequently delay medical appointments.
[L] This establishes a cause-effect pattern linking casual work to deteriorating psychological and physical health.
[P] Housing affordability influences an individual’s physical environment and other social health determinants.
[E] The interplay between rental stress and living conditions shows young people sacrifice health necessities for shelter.
[Ev] 40% of young renters live in overcrowded, mouldy housing, causing respiratory issues and social isolation.
[L] These elements combine to produce environment-driven health inequities affecting multiple dimensions.
[P] Digital access functions through the interaction of income, location and education.
[E] This component can influence health information access, telehealth participation and social connections.
[Ev] Rural youth without reliable internet miss 50% more mental health appointments than urban peers.
[L] The broader impact shows technology barriers compound existing disadvantages, creating deeper health divides.

HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 093 MC

The graph below shows the relationship between educational attainment and life expectancy in a given population.

Which of the following would be the most effective intervention to improve health outcomes for the group with the lowest life expectancy?

Providing subsidised healthcare services to all citizens regardless of income.
Implementing strict workplace health and safety regulations.
Increasing access to quality education and retention in schools.
Offering tax benefits to individuals who maintain private health insurance.

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\(D\)

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C is correct because increasing access to quality education addresses a root cause of poor health outcomes. By improving health literacy, employment prospects and income potential both improve, contributing to higher life expectancy.

Other options:

A is incorrect because while healthcare access is important, it addresses symptoms rather than the underlying factors that lead to poor health.
B is incorrect because workplace regulations only benefit those who are employed and don’t address the broader socioeconomic determinants.
D is incorrect because tax benefits for private health insurance primarily benefit those who already have sufficient income to afford insurance, not those in the lowest socioeconomic brackets .

HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 092 MC

A young person living in a low socioeconomic area has completed Year 10 but is considering leaving school to work full-time. According to socioeconomic determinants of health, what is the most likely long-term health outcome of this decision?

Improved mental health due to financial independence.
Equivalent health outcomes to those who complete Year 12 education.
Temporary physical health challenges that resolve once stable employment is found.
Reduced access to employment opportunities that provide health benefits.

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\(D\)

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D is correct because lower educational attainment generally leads to reduced access to employment opportunities that provide health benefits.

Other options:

A is incorrect because while employment may provide some financial independence, leaving school early often limits long-term earning potential, which can increase financial stress.
B is incorrect because research shows that those who complete higher levels of education generally have better health outcomes than those who leave school early.
C is incorrect because the health challenges associated with lower educational attainment are often persistent rather than temporary.