Which of the following is a modifiable risk factor of cardiovascular disease?
- Age
- Diet
- Gender
- Heredity
HMS, HIC 2015 HSC 17 MC
Which combination of factors is most likely to account for the difference in life expectancy of females and males in Australia today?
- Males are less likely to engage in unsafe behaviours and less likely to visit a doctor regularly.
- Females are less likely to engage in unsafe behaviours and more likely to visit a doctor regularly.
- Males are more likely to work in lower risk occupations and more likely to participate in organised physical activity.
- Females are more likely to work in lower risk occupations and less likely to participate in organised physical activity.
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\(B\)
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- B is correct: Females have safer behaviours and better health-seeking patterns.
Other Options:
- A is incorrect: Males are more likely to engage in unsafe behaviours.
- C is incorrect: Males work in higher risk occupations generally.
- D is incorrect: Females are more likely to seek medical care.
HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 117
Explain how health inequities can result from differences in health behaviours across population groups in Australia. (5 marks)
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Rural vs city populations
- Higher tobacco use in remote areas compared to major cities causes increased rates of respiratory diseases and cancers in rural populations, creating a geographic health inequity.
- This occurs because smoking and its significant health dangers are concentrated in these communities, leading to an increased disease burden.
English speaking vs Non-English speaking populations
- Lower physical activity participation among people from non-English speaking backgrounds versus Australian-born residents causes higher cardiovascular disease rates in culturally diverse communities.
- This inequity develops because reduced fitness levels lead to poorer health outcomes, including an increase in heart and respiratory issues.
Higher vs lower socioeconomic populations
- Similarly, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption in lower socioeconomic areas versus higher areas, causes nutritional inequities that result in increased chronic disease.
- This occurs because nutrients aren’t high in diets, allowing preventable diseases to develop unchecked.
- These behaviour-related health outcomes create persistent inequities that are systematically reinforced through social determinants.
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Rural vs city populations
- Higher tobacco use in remote areas compared to major cities causes increased rates of respiratory diseases and cancers in rural populations, creating a geographic health inequity.
- This occurs because smoking and its significant health dangers are concentrated in these communities, leading to an increased disease burden.
English speaking vs Non-English speaking populations
- Lower physical activity participation among people from non-English speaking backgrounds versus Australian-born residents causes higher cardiovascular disease rates in culturally diverse communities.
- This inequity develops because reduced fitness levels lead to poorer health outcomes, including an increase in heart and respiratory issues.
Higher vs lower socioeconomic populations
- Similarly, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption in lower socioeconomic areas versus higher areas, causes nutritional inequities that result in increased chronic disease.
- This occurs because nutrients aren’t high in diets, allowing preventable diseases to develop unchecked.
- These behaviour-related health outcomes create persistent inequities that are systematically reinforced through social determinants.
HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 114
- Describe what is meant by health behaviours as a determinant of health. (2 marks)
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- Outline THREE health behaviours that have shown positive trends among young Australians in recent years. (3 marks)
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a. Health behaviours as a determinant of health:
- Health behaviours in this context refer to individual beliefs and actions regarding health and wellbeing.
- The behaviours can act as protective factors reducing illness risk or as risk factors increasing likelihood of injury or disease.
- The behaviours directly influence overall health status.
b. Answers could include 3 of the following:
- Alcohol consumption has improved with an increasing number of 14-24 year olds abstaining completely from alcohol consumption, reducing their risk of alcohol-related harm.
- Tobacco smoking rates have declined significantly, with over 85% of Australians aged 18 and over not smoking daily, contributing to reduced disease burden.
- Sexual practices have shown positive trends with increased condom use over the last decade. This trend indicates young people have greater protection against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy, resulting in declining HIV and hepatitis C rates.
- Fruit consumption among children aged 5-14 has shown positive trends with nearly three-quarters meeting the recommended daily intake. This demonstrates improved nutritional awareness and potentially better long-term health outcomes.
Show Worked Solution
a. Health behaviours as a determinant of health:
- Health behaviours in this context refer to individual beliefs and actions regarding health and wellbeing.
- The behaviours can act as protective factors reducing illness risk or as risk factors increasing likelihood of injury or disease.
- The behaviours directly influence overall health status.
b. Answers could include 3 of the following:
- Alcohol consumption has improved with an increasing number of 14-24 year olds abstaining completely from alcohol consumption, reducing their risk of alcohol-related harm.
- Tobacco smoking rates have declined significantly, with over 85% of Australians aged 18 and over not smoking daily, contributing to reduced disease burden.
- Sexual practices have shown positive trends with increased condom use over the last decade. This trend indicates young people have greater protection against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy, resulting in declining HIV and hepatitis C rates.
- Fruit consumption among children aged 5-14 has shown positive trends with nearly three-quarters meeting the recommended daily intake. This demonstrates improved nutritional awareness and potentially better long-term health outcomes.
HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 020
Explain how a person's biomedical factors and health behaviours might interact to affect their cardiovascular health. (5 marks)
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*PEEL – Solution is structured using an adjusted PEEL method to show cause and effect: [P] State the cause/factor [E] Show how it causes the effect [Ev] Evidence demonstrating why/how [L] Reinforce the causal relationship. **Language highlighting the cause-effect relationship is bolded in the answer below.Show Answers Only
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*PEEL – Solution is structured using an adjusted PEEL method to show cause and effect: [P] State the cause/factor [E] Show how it causes the effect [Ev] Evidence demonstrating why/how [L] Reinforce the causal relationship.
**Language highlighting the cause-effect relationship is bolded in the answer below.
- [P] Genetic high cholesterol can combine with dietary choices, causing adverse health effects.
- [E] It can lead to either controlled or dangerous cholesterol levels in blood vessels.
- [Ev] This occurs because eating saturated fats adds to genetic cholesterol production, whereas better diets such as the Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, can reduce it by 30%.
- [L] This shows a clear connection between inherited risk factors, daily food choices and heart disease
- [P] A person’s genetic cardiovascular capacity interacts directly with their exercise habits.
- [E] This causes improved or declining heart muscle function.
- [Ev] As a result, people exercising 150 minutes weekly strengthen their hearts and lower resting heart rate, while inactive people with poor genetic cardiovascular capacity develop weak hearts.
- [L] These elements work together to determine overall cardiovascular strength and endurance.
- [P] Stress hormone production has an important connection with coping behaviours.
- [E] This interplay can produce healthy or poor blood pressure levels.
- [Ev] The reason for this is high level coping mechanisms can significantly lower cortisol levels (and blood pressure) while poor stress management keeps hormones elevated, damaging arteries and producing high blood pressure.
- [L] This demonstrates why biological stress response and behavioural management techniques have a material impact on heart attack and stroke risk.
HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 019
How do environmental factors and health behaviours interact to influence an individual's risk of developing skin cancer in Australia. (5 marks)
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*Cause-and-effect language that directly addresses the “How” (unofficial) keyword is bolded in the answer below.Show Answers Only
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*Cause-and-effect language that directly addresses the “How” (unofficial) keyword is bolded in the answer below.
- Australia’s location causes intense UV radiation exposure. This is due to our proximity to the equator combined with ozone depletion, resulting in UV levels 40% higher than Europe. This leads to Australia having the world’s highest melanoma rates.
- Sun protection behaviours directly mitigate environmental risk. When people apply SPF30+ sunscreen, this blocks 97% of UV rays. As a result, regular users experience much lower melanoma risk.
- Conversely, avoiding protection causes UV damage accumulation, triggering cancer development.
- Built environments determine how exposure occurs. First, a lack of shade results in direct sunlight exposure. This then leads to increased peak-hour UV contact. Subsequently, shade structures reduce UV exposure, resulting in safer outdoor activities.
- Cultural norms influence behaviours through social pressure. This works by beach culture promoting tanned skin, which causes sun-seeking behaviour. Despite education campaigns, this influence leads to many young people pursuing tans and thereby increasing their lifetime melanoma risk.