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HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 124

Outline how the interaction of socioeconomic and biomedical determinants could adversely affect the health of an individual.   (3 marks)

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  • Low-income individuals with genetic predisposition to diabetes cannot afford regular blood glucose monitoring or healthy food options. This leads to poor disease management and increased risk of complications such as kidney disease and cardiovascular problems.
  • A person with lower limb amputation from a low socioeconomic background may lack access to quality prosthetics and rehabilitation services. This causes reduced mobility, increased risk of secondary injuries and social isolation affecting mental health.
  • Individuals with hereditary high cholesterol in financially disadvantaged families cannot afford cholesterol-lowering medications or heart-healthy diets. This increases their risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke at younger ages.
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  • Low-income individuals with genetic predisposition to diabetes cannot afford regular blood glucose monitoring or healthy food options. This leads to poor disease management and increased risk of complications such as kidney disease and cardiovascular problems.
  • A person with lower limb amputation from a low socioeconomic background may lack access to quality prosthetics and rehabilitation services. This causes reduced mobility, increased risk of secondary injuries and social isolation affecting mental health.
  • Individuals with hereditary high cholesterol in financially disadvantaged families cannot afford cholesterol-lowering medications or heart-healthy diets. This increases their risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke at younger ages.

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.

  • [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.

Show Worked Solution

*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.

  • 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.

Show Worked Solution

*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.

HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 018 MC

A long-term study of Australian adults found that individuals who experienced childhood trauma were more likely to develop anxiety disorders in adulthood. This relationship remained significant even when controlling for education level, income and current lifestyle factors.

Further analysis revealed that these individuals exhibited altered stress hormone responses and changes in brain structure compared to those without trauma history.

Which combination of health determinants best explains this complex health outcome?

  1. Biomedical factors and environmental factors
  2. Health behaviours and socioeconomic characteristics
  3. Broad features of society and health behaviours
  4. Environmental factors and health behaviours

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\(A\)

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  • A is correct. The altered stress hormone responses and brain changes represent biomedical factors (physiological changes), while childhood trauma represents environmental factors (early life exposures). 

    Other options:

  • B is incorrect because while education and income (socioeconomic characteristics) are mentioned, the study controlled for these factors, indicating they aren’t the primary explanatory variables. 
  • C is incorrect because broad features of society aren’t specifically addressed, and health behaviours were controlled for in the analysis.
  • D is incorrect because while environmental factors (childhood trauma) are key, health behaviours were controlled for, suggesting they aren’t primary explanatory factors for the relationship.