Download Essay — Diet and disease

Home Economics 2010
Sample assessment instrument and student responses
Research assessment: Essay — Diet and
disease
This sample is intended to inform the design of assessment instruments in the senior phase of
learning. It highlights the qualities of student work and the match to the syllabus standards.
Dimensions assessed
• Knowledge and understanding
• Reasoning and communicating processes
Assessment instrument
The student work presented in this sample is in response to an assessment task.
Issue
The connection between diet and disease is an ongoing concern for the Australian population.
Modern lifestyles, work pressures and diet influence food choices, which have been detrimental to
long-term health. How can young Australians decrease the incidence of diet-related diseases in their
future and improve their long-term wellbeing?
Studies have shown that there is a direct link between long-term diet, environmental and lifestyle
factors and chronic diseases. Epidemiological studies have found considerable health benefits of
eating a “prudent diet” (i.e. one high in fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and poultry)
over a “Western diet” (i.e. one high in red meat, processed meat, refined grains, sweets and dessert,
French fries, and high-fat dairy products). Prudent dietary patterns are associated with lower rates of
some cancers, diabetes and heart disease.
Australian dietary guidelines encourage eating patterns to improve our wellbeing and reduce the risk
of diet-related disease such as heart disease or colon, breast or prostate cancer. The Australian
dietary guidelines encourage consumption of foods containing essential nutrients (i.e. foods from
core food groups) while limiting dietary sodium, fat and added sugar. However, as not all Australians
follow these guidelines, the number of Australians people suffering from cancer and heart disease is
still high.
Task
Write a persuasive essay to encourage young adults to follow a prudent diet and healthy lifestyle to
reduce diet-related disease in Australia. Focus on one diet-related disease and use referenced
evidence to support your arguments and conclusions.
Task guidelines
Research
• Investigate the issues and the relationship between diet, environmental and lifestyle factors and
the incidence of one chronic disease such as heart disease or breast, prostate or colon cancer in
Australia.
• Develop a key question for research and create a set of sub-questions to assist in researching
these key questions.
• Collect a range sources for your analysis and evaluation and to provide supporting evidence for
your conclusions.
Analysis, evaluation
• Interpret, analyse and evaluate the evidence from your research.
• Develop other questions and understandings and need to do further research if needed.
Synthesise and draw a conclusion/s
• Make links between the chosen diet-related disease, long-term diet and lifestyle to possible
actions to reduce the incidence of this disease.
• Synthesise your analysis and evaluation of the information into a unified conclusion.
• Use information from your research to justify conclusion/s.
Communicate
• Present conclusion/s in a persuasive essay.
• Use language that persuades the young-adult audience.
• Clearly support and justify the conclusions with evidence indicating where this evidence comes
from through appropriate in-text referencing and a reference list.
Instrument-specific criteria and standards
Student responses have been matched to instrument-specific criteria and standards; those which
best describe the student work in this sample are shown below. For more information about the
syllabus dimensions and standards descriptors, see www.qsa.qld.edu.au/11788.html.
Knowledge and
understanding
Reasoning and
communicating
processes
Standard A
Standard C
The student work has the following
characteristics:
The student work has the following
characteristics:
•
description of a comprehensive range
of significant facts, definitions and
procedures relevant to Australian dietrelated diseases and current health
issues key concepts
•
description of facts, definitions and
procedures that relate to Australian dietrelated diseases and current health
issues key concepts
•
thorough explanation and application of
relevant health and nutrition key
concepts to individuals’ wellbeing.
•
explanation and application of health
and nutrition key concepts to
individuals’ wellbeing.
The student work has the following
characteristics:
The student work has the following
characteristics:
•
thorough analysis of significant,
relevant information from a variety of
sources
synthesis and discerning and detailed
evaluation of evidence, justification of
valid and supported conclusions or
solutions
•
analysis of relevant information from
sources
•
synthesis and evaluation of evidence,
justified conclusions or solutions
effective use and sustained control of
communication using appropriate
modes and language for the intended
purpose and audience.
•
suitable communication, appropriate
modes and language for the intended
purpose and audience.
•
•
Note: Colour highlights have been used in the table to emphasise
the qualities that discriminate between the standards.
Key: Quality words
2 | Home Economics 2010 Sample assessment instrument and student responses
Cognitive (thinking and doing)
words
Student response — Standard A
The annotations show the match to the instrument-specific standards.
Comments
The student response
demonstrates:
•
description of a
comprehensive range
of significant facts,
definitions and
procedures relevant to
key concepts
•
thorough explanation
and application of
relevant key concepts
•
thorough analysis of
significant, relevant
information from a
variety of sources
•
discerning and detailed
evaluation of evidence
•
description of a
comprehensive range
of significant facts,
definitions and
procedures relevant to
key concepts
•
thorough explanation
and application of
relevant key concepts
•
justification of valid and
supported conclusions.
Cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in Australia, kills one
Australian every 10 minutes. It is a gradual clogging of the arteries that
supply blood to the heart and can cause stroke, heart and blood vessel
disease, which contributes to 33% of deaths in Australia in 2009. (Heart
foundation, 2009). These statistics should encourage young Australians
to take action to reduce the underlying risk factors of heart disease by
maintaining a prudent diet and healthy lifestyle to promote long-term
wellbeing.
One of the main risk factors for heart disease is the poor nutritional intake
of Australians (AIHW, 2004). It is recommended for young adults to have
a balanced diet before they reach their adulthood in order to reduce the
risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. This should be started by eating a
variety of foods as stated in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
(Appendix 1), such as five or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day
as they are rich in dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins, and are low in fat,
cholesterol, salt and sugar. Cereals, breads, rice and pasta, etc. are also
highly recommended as they are high in dietary fibre, iron and vitamin B.
Young adults should also consume protein for its growth maintenance
and repair functions by including meat, poultry, seafood, lentils, nuts and
eggs. Dairy products are also essential for strong bones and teeth.
However, low- or no-fat calcium products should be consumed instead of
whole milk to reduce saturated fats (DGAC, 2010).
Water is extremely important for hydrating our bodies and is necessary
for the transportation of nutrients throughout our body by our blood
supply. Water should always be the most favourable option for a
beverage due to its zero kilojoule content and hydration factors. Alcohol
should be limited as heavy consumption is linked to risk factors for heart
disease, hypertension, stroke and cardiomyopathy (NHMRC, 2009). All of
these food recommendations are needed in order to a keep a healthy
diet, balanced weight, to decrease high blood cholesterol, salt and reduce
high blood pressure. These recommendations should reduce the risk of
cardiovascular disease.
The other prominent risk factors of cardiovascular disease are high blood
cholesterol, high blood pressure, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and
being overweight or obese, therefore further investigation into diet and
healthy lifestyle will help young adults make informed decisions. The
overconsumption of saturated fats and trans fats increases your chance
of cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is
essential for life to manufacture cell walls and hormones. However, high
blood cholesterol is a condition in which you have too much cholesterol in
your blood from the high intake of saturated and trans fats. Foods that
are high in saturated fats such as butter, cheese, whole milk and fatty
meat such as bacon should be avoided. Fried food, commercial baked
goods and processed foods should also be limited as they contain trans
fats. As mentioned, it is best to consume plenty of fruit and vegetables as
they do not contain dietary cholesterol and is also nutritious in Omega 3
and vitamins and minerals, which promote a healthy diet, as well as lean
meat, eggs and low fat dairy products. This should also reduce the
percentage of heart disease and high blood pressure in Australia.
High blood pressure is associated with the high intake of sodium, which
results in the heart putting in extra effort of force of blood pushed against
Queensland Studies Authority November 2012 | 3
Comments
The student response
demonstrates:
•
thorough analysis of
significant, relevant
information from a
variety of sources
•
synthesis and
discerning and detailed
evaluation of evidence,
justification of valid and
supported conclusions
•
thorough analysis of
significant, relevant
information from a
variety of sources
•
synthesis and
discerning and detailed
evaluation of evidence,
justification of valid and
supported conclusions
your artery walls, and raises risks of cardiovascular disease as it makes it
harder for the heart to do its job and becomes thicker and stiffer. As the
heart is not able to pump as well as it should, this could cause
cardiovascular disease such as heart failure and could result in irregular
heartbeats because of the extra fluid built up in the body. This is why the
intake of sodium should be reduced and a healthy, nutritious diet should
be implemented.
Diabetes is one of the biggest contributors to heart disease, as shown by
the statistic: “About 65% of people with diabetes die as a result of heart
disease or stroke.” (NDEP, 2007). This evidence shows that people with
diabetes are at greater risk of heart disease as their blood glucose levels
are higher and can cause damage to many parts of the body such as
blood vessels that travel to the heart. Many people suffering from Type 2
diabetes also have high cholesterol, blood pressure and need physical
activity. The risk factors and links between cardiovascular heart disease
and rising incidence of Type 2 diabetes are clearly evident.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also important for prevention of heart
disease, the first and major issue is being physically active to improve
long-term health. If daily physical exercise were implemented, then the
issue would be affected positively in several ways, such as improving your
long-term health by reducing the risk of heart attack, giving you more
energy, helping to manage weight, lowering blood pressure as well as
building stronger bones and muscles. Any type of exercise is helpful, even
leisurely activities such as gardening and walking. The advice from the
latest government program, called “Swap it”, (Swap it, don’t stop it, 2012)
is for Australians to “swap sitting with moving” and stop watching sport
with playing sport. The advice is based upon the idea that being physically
active will help maintain weight and improve health. All of these factors
would effectively decrease plaque build-up in arteries, and would
therefore reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity
reduces weight by burning excess kilojoules during exercise, which will
lessen the risks of high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity and, most
significantly, cardiovascular disease.
Other lifestyle options to alter is managing stress and depression as
poorly controlled mental health issues such as stress, anger and
depression can lead to heart attacks and strokes as they temporarily raise
blood pressure and make the heart beat faster, which then causes blood
vessels to narrow. Therefore, managing these issues by relaxing,
exercising, managing time and setting goals is great to relieve mental
health concerns.
•
synthesis and
discerning and detailed
evaluation of evidence,
justification of valid and
supported conclusions
•
effective use and
sustained control of
communication using
appropriate modes and
language for the
intended purpose and
audience.
It would be reasonable to conclude that heart disease is a major issue for
Australians, especially young adults, as they have time to prevent
incidence of the disease by developing strategies such as improving diet
by eating a variety of recommended and nutritious foods, changing
lifestyle options by increasing physical exercise, and taking care of factors
that lead to heart disease such as excess consumption of saturated fats
leading to high blood cholesterol and risk factors linked to Type 2
diabetes. These points are well supported by evidence from the Heart
Foundation, and the available data from the National Health and Medical
Research Council, which reveals that 1.4 million Australians are estimated
to have a disability associated with cardiovascular conditions (NHMRC,
2011). It may take effort at the start to prevent the risk factors for heart
disease, but in the long term it will be part of your everyday lifestyle and
benefits will pay off as you feel good about yourself and most importantly
reduce your chances of having cardiovascular disease.
4 | Home Economics 2010 Sample assessment instrument and student responses
Comments
The student response
demonstrates information
from a variety of sources
Bibliography
Websites
The Weight Watchers Research Dept. (2010). Health benefits of dairy
products
Retrieved from:
http://www.weightwatchers.com.au/utiliartJindex_art.aspx?tabnum=1
&artJd=31311&sc=805
Swap it, don't stop it. N.D Retrieved from: http://swapit.gov.au/ways-toswap
Heart disease (2010) Retrieved from:
http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/fact+sheets/heartJheart+disease,9007?g
clid=CMfw6MbBjbACFUlkpQodmU-Cpw
Lavelle, P (2003) Heart disease Retrieved from:
http://www.abc.net.au/health/librarylstories/2003/02/27/1831271.htm
Articles
Ball, Kylie (2010, July). Obesity In Different Socioeconomic Groups
Nutridate, 21 (2), 2~8.
Works cited
Heart foundation (2009), Cardiovascular conditions Retrieved from:
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heartJcardiovascularconditions/Pages/heartfailure.aspx
NHMRC (2011), Cardiovascular disease Retrieved from:
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/research-funding-statistics-anddata/cardiovasculardisease
Madden. R (2005). Living Dangerously Retrieved from:
http://www.aihw.gov.auNVorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442453382
Queensland Studies Authority November 2012 | 5
Student response — Standard C
The annotations show the match to the instrument-specific standards. On balance, the qualities
of the student work can be matched to the descriptors for Standard C.
Comments
The student response
demonstrates:
•
suitable
communication,
appropriate modes and
language for the
intended purpose and
audience
•
analysis of relevant
information from
sources
Contemporary issues related to food, nutrition and health: prostate
cancer
Living in a modern society with such things as the internet and television,
we are commonly bombarded with a plethora of information regarding the
many diseases and health problems that we as human beings are prone
to develop. With these many sources of information we are given multiple
opinions, warnings, guidelines and suggestions as how to ward off these
illnesses that are detrimental to our health. The result of all this
information generally causes confusion as to what the illness is, how it
develops and the best ways to help prevent it from doing so in the first
place. One illness that has much confusion surrounding it is the cancer of
the prostate, considering it is quite an intimate topic. Men often avoid any
discussion about it, leaving them ill-equipped to respond to any factors
that may prove to be beneficial in lowering the chance of forming cancer
of the prostate.
Prostate cancer is an insidious disease that causes an abnormal growth
of cells in the prostate, which develops into a tumour; the prostate is a
gland surrounding the neck of the bladder in males. Each year close to
3300 men die of prostate cancer and around 20 000 new cases are
diagnosed, making it the most common cancer in Australian men
(prostate cancer foundation of Australia, 2012). Although it is such a
prevalent disease, the development frequently goes unnoticed until the
cancer has grown to a dangerous extent. There are very few symptoms
in the early stages of its development. However, there are signs that
indicate the possibility of cancer. These include abdominal discomfort,
hesitancy in the excretion of urine and sudden urgency to urinate multiple
times during sleep. If these symptoms are evident then a test should be
initiated to try and diagnose any cancer at the earliest possible stage.
This disease is caused by rapid duplications of cells within the prostate,
when cells rapidly duplicate they have a higher chance to become
incomplete or deformed. These “broken” cells are what develop into the
adenocarcinomas, cancer of the epithelium. It is commonly found that
these abnormal cell duplications are hereditary. However, prostate
cancer can also develop from multiple lifestyle factors that affect the
severity of these duplications such as diet, obesity and age
(www.cancer.org).
Although diet is not the main cause of prostate cancer it does play an
imperative role in the health and function of the prostate gland. The
various nutrients that are absorbed through the consumption and
digestion of foods are used by the body to facilitate the growth and
maintenance of not just the prostate gland but the body on a whole. In
today’s modern society, the general population is ill-equipped and
minimally educated in the skill of providing their body with a healthy,
nutritionally balanced diet. This is due to various factors such as work,
the economy, social commitments and lack of education.
•
description of facts and
definitions that relate to
key concepts.
Statistics show that Australia has the highest incident and mortality rates for
prostate cancer compared to underdeveloped countries such as eastern
Asia and northern Africa. (Globocan cancer fact sheet, 2008). Being less
developed often means that the people must support themselves by using
the land to its maximum potential which results in them eating a “prudent
diet” (Appendix 1). A prudent diet most commonly consists of fruit,
vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and poultry, hence there is
significantly lower amounts of processed and packaged foods.
6 | Home Economics 2010 Sample assessment instrument and student responses
Comments
The student response
demonstrates:
•
analysis of relevant
information from sources
•
justified conclusions
•
explanation and
application of key
concepts
•
synthesis and evaluation
of evidence, justified
conclusions
•
explanation of a key
concept
•
synthesis and evaluation
of evidence, justified
conclusions
•
synthesis and evaluation
of evidence, justified
conclusions
•
suitable communication,
appropriate modes and
language for the
intended purpose and
audience (this has
occurred throughout the
essay)
•
information from
sources.
On the other hand these highly processed foods are extremely common
in the “western diet”, as this diet contains high quantities of red meat,
processed meat, refined grains, sweets and dessert, French fries and
high-fat dairy products. This “western diet” is almost a staple for
Australians. It has been proven that a high intake of red and processed
meats increases the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer and
also the mortality rate if the disease is developed. The information
above presents the facts that a healthy diet can successfully reduce not
only the risk of developing prostate cancer but many other diseases
and illnesses. The Australian community must make proactive
decisions regarding their diet choices to help ensure a healthy life.
Another factor that increases the chances of developing an aggressive
form of prostate cancer is obesity. Body fat is known to synthesize
hormones such as estrogen which raise the risks of cancerous cells
developing. In saying this Australia is ranked as one of the most obese
countries in the world with more than 17 million people classed as
overweight or obese. In addition to high obesity rates Australia also has
one of the highest rates of both incidents and mortalities of prostate
cancer compared to the significantly lower rates in the more
underdeveloped countries.
Obesity is easily controlled with a healthy diet and regular exercise
regime, in the past few years there has been a lot of media coverage
on the growing pandemic of obesity and how to tackle it yet there is
very little mention of prostate cancer being directly linked with it. This
link needs to be more commonly expressed throughout the many
mediums of communication and advertising that we as a modern
society have (www.sciencedaily.com). Advertising this would give men
a bigger motivation to keep their body weight in check, essentially
helping Australia to become a healthier nation.
Considering all the facts and evidence presented it is apparent that the
male population of Australia needs to take a step back and view their
dietary patterns and exercise regimes with a critical attitude. If this
problem is not addressed the severity of it will only continue to increase
over time. Not only does the general population have to take proactive
measures but also the government and medical organizations of high
stature. This will boost the population’s confidence and acceptance of
the intimate disease that prostate cancer is. Where there are many
people focusing on proving a point or trying to pass on knowledge it is a
great deal more effective than individuals. Prostate cancer has the
ability to prematurely take life in an excruciating and unmerited manner.
When was the last time you took a step back and noted how your diet is
impacting your health?
Reference list
What causes prostate cancer. (15/5/12). Retrieved from
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ProstateCancer/OverviewGuide/prostatecancer-overview-what-causes
Globocan cancer fact sheet. (16/5/12). Retrieved from
http://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheets/cancers/prostate.asp
Obesity is a risk factor for aggressive prostate cancer. (18/5/12).
Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050523091709.htm
Prostate cancer foundation of Australia. (12/5/12). Retrieved from
http://www.prostate.org.au/articleLive/pages/Prostate-CancerStatistics.html
Food and Nutrition. (16/5/12). Retrieved from
http://www.health.qld.gov.au/healthieryou/food/default.asp
Queensland Studies Authority November 2012 | 7
Acknowledgments
The QSA acknowledges the contribution of Corinda State High School in the preparation of this
document.
8 | Home Economics 2010 Sample assessment instrument and student responses