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Professionals in a broad range of disciplines need knowledge of the multiple contextual influences impacting on health and wellbeing and an understanding of the role of health education and promotion in the development and support of health-enhancing behaviours. Health is influenced by the dynamic interactions between people and their economic, physical, sociocultural and political environments. The ‘social view of health’ is underpinned by the notion that the health of individuals, groups and communities is constructed in society, by society, making personal, social and community health a shared responsibility.

Understanding the multidimensional and multisectoral imperative, social justice principles and socio-ecological impacts to identify and evaluate inequities in access to health is essential for successful health education and promotion. Educational and work settings are advantageous environments for capturing the attention of individuals and groups in relation to their health and wellbeing and to facilitate understanding of the significance of optimising social, emotional, physical and cognitive health for academic and work productivity, and life outcomes.

The course focuses on strengths based positivity and personalised inquiry learning. Students will research current health promotion and intervention strategies as well as paradigms for understanding, and analysing child, adolescent, adult and aged health issues. They will research and analyse social justice principles, socio-ecological and strength-based paradigms, to identify and evaluate inequities in access to health and the success of health promotion interventions in diverse populations and contexts.

Students will apply knowledge, understanding and skills to plan health education and promotion initiatives as strategic means of supporting healthy and safe behaviours. They will consider settings and student or client needs when applying health promotion knowledge to case study scenarios. Students will apply strategies for developing health literacies and critical inquiry skills in conjunction with understanding educative purpose of learning. They will understand the role of advocacy from multiple sectors in bringing change to the educational, social, economic and political conditions that affect health and wellbeing in personal, social, community and national contexts.

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. advocate for health education and health promotion and appreciate the need for and recognise the value of embracing a holistic approach to health education and learning (APST 2.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.4, 7.2, 7.4);
2. analyse and justify the purpose and importance of health education and health promotion and the benefit of implementing a positive, strengths-based approach that builds on the competencies and resources of students and the community, to frame learning about personal, social and community health (APST 2.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.4, 7.2, 7.4);
3. create developmentally appropriate health education or health promotion programs that build health literacies and are inclusive of the diverse needs and interests of demographic, settings and community while appreciating the impact of social determinants of health on the capacity to implement health promoting behaviours (APST 2.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.4, 7.2, 7.4);
4. identify and plan opportunities and strategies to authentically and effectively connect health learning with other contextualised learning and movement, physical activity and sport contexts (APST 2.1, 3.4, 4.1, 4.4, 7.2, 7.4);
5. apply current, relevant and credible research to inform teaching and student/client/patient inquiry (APST 3.4, 4.1, 4.4, 7.2, 7.4).