DZI Biology and Health Education study guide
DZI Biology and Health Education · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The DZI Biology and Health Education credential is designed for people who need to demonstrate that they can apply core biology to practical health and education settings. Candidates typically include health educators, community health workers, school and public-health staff, and graduates moving into health promotion roles where a working command of human biology is expected alongside communication and programme skills. The DZI Biology and Health Education study guide has 9 sections and about 2,544 words.
01Cell Biology and Molecular Biology
Candidates must be able to describe membrane structure and transport (passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion, active transport, osmosis), organelle function, the cell cycle and its checkpoints, and the central dogma: DNA replication, transcription, and translation. Know the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, the role of ribosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi in protein sorting, and mitochondria in oxidative phosphorylation.
286 words, about 1 min02Genetics and Evolution
Understand Mendelian inheritance, including segregation and independent assortment, and be able to solve monohybrid and dihybrid crosses using Punnett squares or probability rules. Know the difference between genotype and phenotype, dominant, recessive, codominant, and incompletely dominant alleles, sex-linked inheritance, and the distinction between autosomal and X-linked pedigrees.
286 words, about 1 min03Human Anatomy and Physiology
Know the organization of the major organ systems and their integration: cardiovascular (cardiac cycle, blood pressure, circulation), respiratory (gas exchange, ventilation), renal (filtration, reabsorption, acid-base balance), digestive, endocrine (hormone feedback loops), nervous (action potentials, synapses), and musculoskeletal systems. Understand homeostasis and negative feedback, and be able to predict how a disturbance in one system affects another.
265 words, about 1 min04Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Understand the structure and classification of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, including the difference between gram-positive and gram-negative cell walls, the role of capsules and pili, and the nature of viral replication. Know the chain of infection, modes of transmission, portals of entry, and the principles of asepsis and sterilization.
250 words, about 1 min05Nutrition and Metabolism
Understand macronutrients and micronutrients, energy balance, basal metabolic rate, and the thermic effect of food. Know the caloric content of macronutrients, the roles of vitamins and minerals, and the distinction between water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins.
255 words, about 1 min06Public Health and Epidemiology
Understand incidence and prevalence, and how they differ: incidence measures new cases over a period, while prevalence measures all existing cases at a point in time. Know measures of association, including relative risk and odds ratio, and the meaning of attributable risk.
245 words, about 1 min07Health Education Theory and Behavior Change
Understand major behavior change theories: the Health Belief Model, the Transtheoretical Model, Social Cognitive Theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Ecological Model. Know the constructs within each, such as perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, stages of change, subjective norms, and reciprocal determinism.
243 words, about 1 min08Health Communication and Program Planning
Understand the steps of program planning, including needs assessment, goal and objective setting, intervention design, implementation, and evaluation. Know the difference between process, impact, and outcome evaluation, and be able to write SMART objectives.
234 words, about 1 min09Research Methods
Understand study designs, including randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional surveys, and qualitative methods. Know the concepts of validity, reliability, bias, confounding, randomization, blinding, and control groups.
480 words, about 2 min