Public Health Campaigns
- Junessa Masaya
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
HSC Biology | Study Notes
Public health campaigns are an important part of NSW Biology Stage 6, Module 8, Non-infectious Disease and Disorders. This topic matters because Module 8 focuses on how non-infectious diseases can be prevented at the population level, and HSC materials directly use campaigns about smoking, skin cancer and cervical cancer as examples of disease prevention in Australia. These examples also show how epidemiological data can be used to judge whether a campaign has been effective.
In this lesson
how public health campaigns reduce disease risk
how smoking campaigns aim to prevent lung cancer and other disease
how skin cancer campaigns reduce UV exposure
how cervical cancer campaigns use screening and vaccination
why some campaigns work better than others
What is a public health campaign?
A public health campaign is an organised program designed to improve health across a population.
Public health campaigns usually aim to:
change behaviour
reduce exposure to risk factors
increase awareness
encourage prevention or early detection
lower disease incidence over time
In Module 8, these campaigns are especially important because many non-infectious diseases are linked to:
lifestyle factors
environmental exposure
delayed disease development
Why public health campaigns are used
Public health campaigns are used because non-infectious diseases often develop slowly and affect large numbers of people.
A good campaign can:
reach many people at once
reduce preventable risk factors
improve early diagnosis
reduce illness and deaths over time
Key idea
Campaigns do not usually work instantly. Their effects may take years to appear, especially if the disease develops slowly.
Smoking campaigns
Smoking campaigns in Australia are designed to reduce smoking and therefore reduce diseases such as lung cancer.
What these campaigns include
A Year 12 problem set describes major tobacco control measures in Australia, including:
a ban on tobacco advertising in 1993
health warnings on cigarette packets in 1995
advertising campaigns linking smoking to lung cancer
smoke-free dining areas
plain packaging introduced in 2013
Why these campaigns matter
Smoking is a major lifestyle risk factor. Reducing smoking can reduce:
lung cancer risk
cardiovascular disease risk
other smoking-related disease
Evidence of effectiveness
The same problem set states that the proportion of Australians aged over 14 who smoked fell from 25% in 1990 to 14% in 2018. It also notes that the proportion who had never smoked increased from 49.5% in 2007–2008 to 55.7% in 2017–2018.
What this suggests
This suggests that smoking campaigns in Australia have been effective overall, although the data also show that smoking has not been eliminated completely.
Skin cancer campaigns
Skin cancer campaigns aim to reduce exposure to UV radiation, which is an environmental cause of disease.
What these campaigns focus on
A 2024 HSC marking guideline describes a school-based skin cancer campaign that teaches students:
UV exposure causes skin cancer
hats and sunscreen can reduce risk
The 2020 HSC paper also uses the Australia-wide SLIP SLOP SLAP SEEK SLIDE campaign as an example of a public education program for skin cancer prevention.
Why this matters
These campaigns work by reducing the cause of the disease, not by treating the disease after it appears.
Delay in visible results
A Module 8 support document explains that melanoma incidence rose from 26.6 per 100,000 in 1982 to about 49.9 per 100,000 in 2002, then became more stable. It links this delayed effect to the long time between UV exposure and the later development of melanoma.
What this shows
Skin cancer campaigns can be effective, but:
their impact may take years to appear
incidence may continue rising for some time after the campaign begins
long-term follow-up is needed
Cervical cancer campaigns
Cervical cancer campaigns in Australia combine screening and vaccination.
What these campaigns included
A 2022 HSC question states that public health campaigns to reduce cervical cancer included:
a national screening program beginning in 1991
an HPV vaccine program for girls beginning in 2007
an HPV vaccine program for boys beginning in 2013
Why these campaigns matter
These campaigns work in two different ways:
screening detects pre-cancerous cells early
HPV vaccination reduces infection by the virus that causes most cervical cancers
Evidence of effectiveness
A 2022 HSC marking guideline explains that after the screening program began, incidence fell substantially, to about half. It also notes that the effects of vaccination may take longer to appear because cervical cancer usually develops over many years.
Key idea
This is a strong example of why public health campaigns often need to be:
long-term
monitored carefully
interpreted with caution
Why campaigns work
Public health campaigns work best when they reduce the actual cause or major risk factor of a disease.
Campaigns can work by
increasing public knowledge
changing behaviour
encouraging early detection
reducing exposure to harmful factors
using vaccination where appropriate
Examples
smoking campaigns reduce smoking behaviour
skin cancer campaigns reduce UV exposure
cervical cancer campaigns increase screening and vaccination
Why some campaigns are more effective than others
Not all campaigns work equally well.
Their effectiveness depends on factors such as:
whether the message is clear
whether people follow the advice
how long the campaign runs
whether the disease has a long delay before symptoms appear
whether other factors are changing at the same time
Important point
A drop in disease incidence after a campaign does not always prove the campaign was the only cause. Other influences may also contribute.
The 2022 HSC marking guideline on cervical cancer makes this point clearly, explaining that incidence was already falling before the screening program and that other factors may also have changed.
Evaluating campaigns using data
When evaluating a public health campaign, students should look for:
trends before the campaign
trends after the campaign
size of the change
delays between cause and effect
whether the data support a clear judgment
Better evaluation style
Instead of saying:
“The campaign worked.”
Write:
“The campaign appears to have reduced risk because disease incidence or exposure to the risk factor fell after the program began, although the effect may have taken years to become visible.”
Worked example
Exam-style question
Explain why a skin cancer campaign may take many years to show a clear reduction in disease incidence.
Worked answer
A skin cancer campaign may take many years to show a clear reduction in incidence because there is often a long delay between UV exposure and the later development of melanoma. Even if people reduce sun exposure after the campaign begins, disease caused by earlier UV damage may still appear for years afterwards. This means the campaign may be effective, but the data may show a delayed response.
Why this works
This answer:
explains the time lag clearly
links the campaign to the cause of disease
shows why disease data must be interpreted carefully
Common mistakes
Saying campaigns work instantly.
Describing the campaign without explaining how it reduces disease risk.
Ignoring the delay between exposure and disease.
Assuming a falling trend proves the campaign was the only cause.
Writing about treatment instead of prevention.
Forgetting to use data when evaluating campaign success.
Quick quiz
What is a public health campaign?
Give one feature of Australian smoking campaigns.
Why are skin cancer campaigns linked to UV exposure?
What two main strategies are used in cervical cancer campaigns?
Why can a campaign be effective even if disease incidence does not fall
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