NCEA Level 2 Health: Analysis, Determinants and Health Promotion
What the Level 2 standards test
Level 2 Health asks you to analyse, not just describe. The achievement standards cover food and nutrition provision, the relationship between health issues and determinants of health, attitudes/values/actions that affect health, and evaluation of health promotion models. Analysis means explaining how factors connect, why inequalities persist, and what consequences follow for individuals, communities and society.
Core rules and concepts
- Use determinants at multiple levels: individual (knowledge, skills), interpersonal (family, peers), community (schools, services), societal (policy, income, housing, racism). Link each determinant to the health issue.
- Apply hauora: Te Whare Tapa Whā (taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau, taha wairua) and Fonofale (family, culture, spiritual, physical, mental, other). These are not add-ons; they shape analysis.
- Distinguish equity from equality. Equity means allocating resources according to need so avoidable differences are reduced.
- Know health promotion models: Ottawa Charter (healthy public policy, supportive environments, community action, personal skills, reorienting health services); Tannahill (health education, prevention, protection); Beattie (health persuasion, personal counselling, community development, legislative action).
- Use analytical vocabulary: "this leads to", "because", "however", "the implication is", "stakeholders", "short- and long-term consequences".
Worked example
Question: Analyse why food insecurity persists in a low-income community. A descriptive answer says "food is too expensive." An analytical answer explains that low income interacts with high housing costs and poor transport, reducing access to affordable healthy food (economic and environmental determinants). Stigma and blame (attitudes/values) can stop people using food assistance. Applying the Ottawa Charter, a school breakfast programme (healthy public policy) and a community garden (supportive environments, personal skills) address access and skills. The consequence is better nutrition and mental wellbeing, but only if transport and stigma are also addressed. This shows interconnection, not a list.
Traps that cost marks
- Stopping at description; analysis requires causes, links and consequences.
- Listing determinants without tying them to the issue or hauora.
- Calling equality fair; examiners look for equity.
- Evaluating a model as "good" or "bad" without strengths, limitations and context.
- Omitting Māori or Pacific perspectives when the issue affects those communities.
- Making unsupported claims instead of using specific evidence.