Health & Human Development

VCE Health and Human Development takes a broad and multidimensional approach to defining and understanding health. Students investigate the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition and other interpretations of health and wellbeing. For the purposes of this study, students consider wellbeing to be an implicit element of health.

Students examine health (including the concepts of health and wellbeing, and health status) and human development as dynamic concepts that are subject to a complex interplay of biological, sociocultural and environmental factors, many of which can be acted upon by people, communities and governments. Students consider the interaction between these factors and learn that health and human development is complex and influenced by the settings in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.

Students consider Australian and global contexts as they investigate health outcomes and examine the Australian healthcare system to help evaluate what is being done to address health inequity and inequality. They examine and evaluate the work of global health organisations and the Australian Government’s overseas aid program.

This study presents concepts of health and wellbeing, and human development, from a range of perspectives: individual and collective; local, national and global; and across time and human lifespan. Students develop health literacy as they connect their learning to their lives, communities and world. They develop a capacity to critique and respond to health information, advertising and other media messages, which enables them to put strategies into action to address health and wellbeing at a personal, community and global level.

This study enables students to:
•

This study enables students to:

• understand the complex nature of health and wellbeing, and human development
• develop a broad view of health and wellbeing, incorporating physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions, and biological, sociocultural and environmental factors
• examine how health and wellbeing may be influenced across the lifespan by the conditions into which people are born, grow, live, work and age
• develop health literacy to evaluate health information and take appropriate and positive action to support health and wellbeing and manage risks
• develop understanding of the Australian healthcare system and the political and social values that underpin it
• apply social justice principles to identify health and wellbeing inequities and analyse health and wellbeing interventions
• apply the objectives of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to evaluate the effectiveness of health and wellbeing initiatives and programs
• propose and implement action to positively influence health and wellbeing, and human development, outcomes at individual, local, national and/or global levels.