Year 9 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 19
Challenge Worksheet
Learning Goals
Evaluate the claim
A student claims...
"Individual behaviour change is more important than government public health policy for reducing disease burden in Australia. If people just made better personal choices, eating well, exercising, not smoking, and washing their hands, we wouldn't need expensive government campaigns, plain packaging laws, or vaccination mandates. Health is ultimately a personal responsibility, and government interference only creates resentment and doesn't actually change behaviour in the long run."
(a) What part of this claim is supported by the science of public health? Use at least one specific piece of evidence from this lesson.
(b) Identify two specific weaknesses in this argument. For each weakness, use evidence from Australia's public health history (e.g., smoking rates, vaccination coverage, sewage systems) to show why the claim is incomplete or misleading.
(c) The Ottawa Charter describes "healthy public policy" as one of five action areas for health promotion. How does the concept of social determinants of health challenge the idea that disease is purely a matter of personal responsibility? Give a specific Australian example.
1. Edward Jenner (1796) and John Snow (1854) both made major contributions to public health without fully understanding germ theory (which was established in the 1860s). Using one of these examples, explain how their work changed public health practice even without a complete scientific explanation at the time.
2. Australia's National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) sends free FOBT kits to Australians aged 50–74 every two years. Classify this as primary, secondary, or tertiary prevention and explain your reasoning. Why is 50 the chosen starting age rather than, say, 25?
Wrap Up
Which public health intervention from this lesson do you think has had the greatest impact on Australian health, and why? (3 lines)