Health determinants

In health determinants, students develop an understanding of the determinants of health through a variety of tasks. The impact of health determinants and health status will differ according to individual, local, and global contexts.  

Health determinants may include: 

• environmental factors 
• socioeconomic characteristics 
• knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs 
• health behaviours 
• psychological factors 
• safety factors 
• biomedical factors 
• individual physical and psychological make-up 
• connection to Country/Place 
• cultural and spiritual factors. 

Students recognise the significant influence that the following factors may have on health determinants: 

• government and NGO actions 
• increasing inequalities within and between countries  
• patterns of consumption and communication  
• commercialisation and globalisation 
• environmental change 
• migration of populations including urbanisation, refugee displacement, and temporary migration.  
• social media and digital technology. 

Learning activities 

The following learning activities are suggestions only. Teachers may select and adapt suitable activities from this list or design their own. 

Students may develop an understanding of health determinants by: 

• recognising and analysing inequalities in health outcomes within and between countries 
• identifying and interpreting the changing nature of health determinants 
• challenging the stereotypes across personal, local, and global health 
• conducting a media analysis about how a health issue is presented 
• analysing competing views about a contemporary issue 
• identifying risk and making informed choices to maintain safety and wellbeing 
• exploring the role of genetics versus environmental choices in health outcomes.