Year 9 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 13

Non-Infectious Diseases, Data Literacy, and Hypothesis Writing

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Explain why incidence rate is more useful than a raw case count for comparing disease burden.
Identify examples of non-infectious diseases and their prevention strategies.
Distinguish between a weak hypothesis and a strong hypothesis written in if–then–because format.

Warm Up

Fill the gap

Choose the correct word from the word bank to complete each sentence. Two words will not be used.

incidence rate non-infectious hypothesis case fatality rate lifestyle screening autoimmune contagious dependent

Diseases that are not caused by a pathogen and cannot spread between people are called diseases. Examples include cardiovascular disease, most cancers, and type 2 diabetes. A disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own cells, such as type 1 diabetes, is called an disease.

To fairly compare how common a disease is in a large city versus a small town, scientists use the , which divides new cases by the population and multiplies by a standard number (usually 100,000). The measures how deadly a disease is among diagnosed cases, but does not capture people who were never tested.

Many non-infectious diseases can be reduced through changes such as diet, exercise, and avoiding tobacco. Early detection through programs, such as the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, can dramatically improve survival when disease is caught in its early stage.

A is a testable prediction based on scientific reasoning. A strong hypothesis uses the format: If [independent variable], then [dependent variable] will [change], because [scientific reason].

Your Turn

Sort it!

Write each item from the pool into the correct category box. Each item belongs in exactly one box.

Incidence rate = (new cases / population) × 100,000 BreastScreen Australia mammogram Cannot be transmitted between people Case fatality rate = (deaths / cases) × 100% National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Allows fair comparison between different population sizes Cardiovascular disease No pathogen involved Allows fair comparison of disease severity Lifestyle modifications (diet, exercise, no smoking)

Incidence Rate

Case Fatality Rate

Non-Infectious Disease / Prevention

Show What You Know

1. City A reports 200 new cases of a disease and has a population of 2,000,000. City B reports 80 new cases and has a population of 400,000. Which city has a higher incidence rate per 100,000? Show your working.

Recall 2 marks

2. A student writes this hypothesis: "Plants near Wi-Fi will grow badly." Explain why this is a weak hypothesis and rewrite it using the if–then–because format.

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?