Risk & Protective Factors
A young person is deciding whether to get into a car with a friend who has been drinking. Identify ONE risk factor and ONE protective factor in this situation.
Risk factor: the driver has been drinking / peer pressure to get in. Protective factor: refuse the lift, organise another way home, contact a responsible adult, or use a safe transport option.
Name THREE of the five factor groups in the PowerPoint that influence health decisions.
Any three of: individual/contextual, sociocultural, political, economic, environmental.
What are the FOUR drug classifications used in the PowerPoint?
Stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens/psychedelics, and narcotics/opiates.
According to the PowerPoint, what does binge drinking describe?
Drinking heavily on a single occasion or continuously over a number of days/weeks, with the lesson also describing drinking with the intention of getting drunk.
What must be true for sexual consent to be valid according to the PowerPoint?
The person willingly agrees and is free and able to make their own decision.
Explain the difference between a risk factor and a protective factor. Your answer must refer to the likelihood of harm.
A risk factor increases the likelihood of harm or an unsafe outcome; a protective factor reduces the likelihood of harm or supports safer choices.
A family's beliefs and expectations influence a teenager's decisions about alcohol and sexual activity. Which factor group is this mainly an example of, and why?
Sociocultural factor, because family, culture, religion, peer groups and social expectations can influence beliefs, values and behaviour.
Why is 'illicit drug use' broader than simply 'illegal drugs'?
Because illicit drug use can include illegal drugs as well as misuse of pharmaceuticals and other psychoactive substances that may be legal but are used in a harmful or non-medical way.
Identify TWO possible consequences associated with binge drinking from the PowerPoint.
Any two of: unplanned pregnancy, unsafe sexual activity, drink driving, motor vehicle crashes, violence, antisocial behaviour, injury, chronic disease or premature death.
Why is 'no symptoms' not evidence that a person definitely does not have an STI?
Some STIs can cause no symptoms, so a person may still be infected and able to pass the infection on without knowing.
A student says, 'Having good friends is always a protective factor.' Explain why this statement is not always true.
Friends can be protective when they encourage safe choices, but can also be a risk factor if they pressure someone to drink, take drugs, drive unsafely, fight or engage in other risky behaviour.
Give ONE example of a political factor that can influence a young person's health decision and explain how it can change behaviour.
Examples include age restrictions on alcohol/cigarettes, road laws, seatbelt laws, drink-driving laws, healthy canteen policies or age-of-consent laws. The law can restrict risky behaviour or encourage safer choices.
A legal prescription medicine is taken in a way not directed by a doctor. Could this still be considered illicit drug use? Explain.
Yes. Misuse of pharmaceuticals within illicit drug use even though the medicine itself may be legally available.
A friend has been drinking and says, 'I'm fine to drive because I don't feel drunk.' Explain why this is a poor safety decision using risk and protective-factor language.
Feeling fine does not remove the risk of impaired driving. Driving after drinking is a risk factor; refusing the lift, taking the keys, arranging alternative transport or contacting a responsible adult are protective actions.
Compare chlamydia and syphilis: give ONE similarity and ONE difference based on the PowerPoint.
Similarity: both are bacterial infections transmitted through sexual contact and can be treated with antibiotics. Difference: chlamydia is described as very common and may cause PID/infertility; syphilis can remain in the body for years and may damage the brain, eyes, liver, nerves or blood system if untreated.
A teenager is pressured to swim at a beach late at night after a party. Identify TWO risk factors and propose ONE protective action.
Possible risk factors: peer pressure, darkness, alcohol/drug use, unfamiliar conditions, no lifeguards, fatigue. Protective action: refuse to swim, leave the beach, stay with a sober friend, or seek a safe alternative.
A teenager lives in an area with poor access to health services and limited money for transport. Identify TWO factor groups influencing their health choices.
Economic and environmental factors. Economic relates to money/resources; environmental relates to access and surroundings/services.
The effects of a drug can differ greatly between two people taking the same substance. Give THREE factors from the PowerPoint that could explain why.
Any three of: type of drug, amount consumed, number of drugs taken at once, what the person is doing, where the person is, body size, or health vulnerabilities.
Explain how peer pressure can increase alcohol-related harm AND how peers can reduce that same harm.
Peers can increase harm by encouraging heavy drinking or risky behaviour. They can reduce harm by discouraging drinking, organising safe transport, staying together, removing car keys or helping someone seek support.
Which STI in the PowerPoint attacks the liver, can be transmitted through blood and sexual fluids, and has a vaccine available?
Hepatitis B.
A young person is at a party where there is underage drinking, drug use and pressure to take risks. Explain how TWO different protective factors could work together to reduce harm.
Example: strong decision-making/communication skills can help the young person refuse risky behaviour, while supportive friends or an exit plan can help them leave safely. Other valid combinations include family support, knowledge, laws, transport plans or school/community education.
Explain how the SAME health decision can be influenced by an individual factor and a sociocultural factor at the same time.
Example: choosing not to drink may be influenced by personal values/knowledge (individual) and family or religious expectations (sociocultural). Any valid example showing both influences acting on the same decision is acceptable.
A person mixes several drugs at a party. Explain why predicting the effects is more difficult than if they took only one drug.
The effects depend on the type and amount of each drug, the combination of drugs, the person's characteristics and the setting. Combining substances can alter or intensify effects, making the outcome less predictable.
A student argues that alcohol harm is only an individual issue. Use the PowerPoint to challenge this view.
Alcohol can affect individuals and the wider community through injury, road crashes, violence, health-care impacts, disease burden and harm to others. The lesson treats alcohol and illicit drug use as broader health and community issues.
A young person thinks they may have an STI but feels healthy and is embarrassed to seek help. Explain TWO reasons why doing nothing is risky and identify TWO self-management skills that would support a safer response.
Doing nothing is risky because STIs can be asymptomatic, may continue to be transmitted, and untreated infection can cause serious long-term health effects. Relevant self-management skills include help-seeking, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, accessing reliable information and following medical advice.