Overview

This unit will provide students with an understanding of health and disease. The unit further investigates the major diseases affecting people across the life course, including burden of disease and their aetiology, development, and implications for prevention and management at individual and population levels.
Biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence health and disease are also explored.

Requisites

Prerequisites
BIO10004 Anatomy and Physiology
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Identify the major diseases affecting people across the life course and explain their aetiology, course, and management at individual and population levels
  • Describe the biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence growth, development, health and disease
  • Examine critical life stages where exposure to determinants impacts on long-term health outcomes
  • Analyse the impact and burden of disease on Australians and the Australian Healthcare system

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week
Live Online Lecture 12 12 weeks 1
On-campus Workshop 24 12 weeks 2
Specified Activities Various 42 12 weeks 3.5
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning 72 12 weeks 6
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 12.5

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Assignment Individual  40%  2,3,4
Take home assessment Individual  30%  1,2,3,4 
Online Quizzes Individual 30%  1,2,3,4

Content

  • Concepts in epidemiology and population health
  • Measures of growth, development, health, disease burden, disability and injury
  • Major sources of disease, disability and injury across the life span including: aetiology, pathogenesis/pathophysiology and course
  • The relationships between health, disease, and human development at critical life stages
  • Biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence growth, development, health and disease across the life course
  • Individual and population level interventions to address common diseases

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.