This guide is for BTEC Level 3 Health and Social Care students working on a Unit 29 Health Promotion assignment. Health promotion units have been renumbered across BTEC specifications, so this guide follows the current Pearson BTEC Level 3 National in Health and Social Care (2016), where the content sits in Unit 8 Promoting Public Health (on the BTEC International Level 3, the same content is Unit 6 Promoting Public Health, which Pearson maps to the older QCF Unit 12 Public Health and, in part, Unit 20 Promoting Health Education). You will find the learning aims explained, a suggested structure for each part, model paragraphs, a worked campaign evaluation and the mistakes that most often cost marks.
What the Unit 29 Health Promotion assignment asks you to do
A health promotion assignment asks you to show how public health in the UK is organised, why some people and groups have poorer health than others, and how professionals try to improve and protect health. In the final part you usually plan or review a health promotion campaign for a specific target group, such as young people who vape, adults at risk of type 2 diabetes or older people who have not taken up a flu vaccine.
A typical brief gives you a scenario, for example working as a health promotion assistant for a local authority public health team, and asks for a report, a leaflet with a supporting rationale, or a presentation. Whatever the format, your answer must use UK examples, refer to relevant policy and theory, and apply them to a named group rather than to “people” in general.
If your brief still says “Unit 29”, check which specification your centre uses. The content below matches what current health promotion and public health units assess.
Learning aims for health promotion (Unit 8 Promoting Public Health)
The aim labels below are short summaries; the content listed under each matches Pearson’s content areas A1 to D4 for this unit. Copy the full learning aim wording from your brief.
| Learning aim | What it covers |
|---|---|
| A: Public health policy | The origins and aims of public health policy; strategies for developing policy; monitoring the health status of the population; groups that influence public health policy. |
| B: Factors affecting health | Social, economic, environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors that affect health, and the socio-economic impact of improving the health of individuals and the population. |
| C: Approaches to promoting and protecting health | The role of health promoters; approaches to promoting public health and wellbeing; approaches to protecting public health; disease prevention and control methods such as screening, immunisation and surveillance. |
| D: Health promotion campaigns | Features of campaigns; barriers to participation and challenging indifference; models and theories that explain health behaviour change; approaches to increasing public awareness. |
Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria explained
Use the exact criterion codes and wording from your own brief. In general terms, each grade asks for the following.
| Grade | What it asks | How to evidence it |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Explain how public health policy developed, the factors that affect health, the main approaches to promoting health, and the features of a campaign. | Accurate explanations with named UK policies, organisations and examples. A campaign that clearly identifies its aim, target group and methods. |
| Merit | Analyse how factors and approaches affect a specific group, and assess how well a campaign is likely to work. | Link causes to effects using data for your target group. Compare approaches and explain why one suits the group better. |
| Distinction | Evaluate the effectiveness of policies, approaches and campaigns, and justify recommendations. | Weigh strengths against limitations, use evidence on outcomes, consider ethical issues and reach a supported judgement. |
How to answer Learning aim A: public health policy
Show that you understand where public health came from and how it works now.
- Origins: Chadwick’s 1842 report on sanitary conditions, the Public Health Act 1848, the founding of the NHS in 1948, and later reports on health inequalities such as the Black Report (1980), the Acheson Report (1998) and the Marmot Review (2010).
- Current structure: since the Health and Social Care Act 2012, local authorities lead much public health work. National functions are held by the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
- Monitoring: epidemiology, national statistics, notification of infectious diseases and screening data.
- Influencing groups: the World Health Organization, NICE, charities and pressure groups, and the media.
Example paragraph: The Marmot Review (2010) showed that health in England follows a social gradient: the more deprived the area, the shorter life expectancy and healthy life expectancy tend to be. This shifted public health policy away from blaming individual choices towards tackling the conditions in which people are born, grow, live and work. Because local authorities now hold public health budgets, they can link health aims to housing, transport and leisure services. For our target group of young adults in a deprived ward, this means a smoking campaign should be paired with practical support, such as free stop smoking services, rather than relying on information alone.
How to answer Learning aim B: factors affecting health
- Choose your target group and describe its health issue.
- Explain at least four factors: for example income, housing, education, employment, diet, physical activity, alcohol, smoking, genetics and access to services.
- Show how the factors interact. Low income can limit diet choices, housing quality and stress levels together.
- Explain the socio-economic impact of improving health: fewer GP visits and admissions, more people able to work, lower benefit costs, improved quality of life.
Example paragraph: Type 2 diabetes risk among middle-aged adults in the area is shaped by several connected factors. Long working hours and shift patterns reduce time for physical activity and home cooking, while cheaper energy-dense foods are easier to buy locally than fresh produce. Family history and ethnicity also raise risk for some residents, so screening is especially important. Improving health in this group would not only reduce individual suffering from complications such as kidney and eye damage, but would also reduce long-term costs to the NHS and help people remain in work.
How to answer Learning aim C: promoting and protecting health
Explain the role of health promoters (public health practitioners, health visitors, school nurses, GPs, pharmacists, environmental health officers) and compare the main approaches to promoting health. A widely used model identifies five approaches: medical, behaviour change, educational, empowerment and social change. Protection measures include immunisation programmes, screening, surveillance, food safety enforcement and legislation such as the smoking ban in enclosed public places under the Health Act 2006.
Example paragraph: An empowerment approach would suit the young parents’ group better than a purely educational one. Educational sessions give information about healthy eating, but the parents already know much of this; the barrier is confidence and cost. An empowerment approach lets the group identify its own priorities, for example a cook-and-eat club using low-cost ingredients, which builds skills and peer support. Its limitation is that results are slower and harder to measure, so it works best alongside a measurable target such as more families registering for Healthy Start.
How to answer Learning aim D: health promotion campaigns
- State the campaign aim and SMART objectives.
- Describe the target group and why it was chosen, using local or national data.
- Explain the methods and channels: social media, leaflets, events in schools or workplaces, GP and pharmacy materials.
- Apply at least one behaviour change model: the Health Belief Model, the Stages of Change (Transtheoretical) Model or the Theory of Planned Behaviour.
- Identify barriers (cost, language, culture, low motivation, mistrust) and how you will reduce them.
- Explain how success will be measured.
Worked example: evaluating a stop vaping campaign
This mini case shows the level of analysis expected. The figures are illustrative.
| Element | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Aim | Reduce regular vaping among 16 to 18-year-olds at a sixth form college. |
| SMART objective | By the end of the spring term, 60 students who vape will have attended at least one support session, measured by sign-in records. |
| Behaviour change model | Stages of Change: most students are at pre-contemplation, so the first messages raise awareness of nicotine dependence rather than demanding they quit immediately. |
| Barriers | Peer pressure, belief that vaping is harmless, embarrassment about seeking help. Response: student ambassadors, anonymous online sign-up, sessions held at lunchtime. |
| Evaluation | Strength: messages are designed with students, increasing relevance. Limitation: sign-ups measure engagement, not quitting, so a follow-up survey after three months is needed. Ethical issue: the campaign must avoid shaming students and protect confidentiality. |
| Judgement | Likely to raise awareness and engagement, but long-term change depends on pairing it with college policy and access to stop smoking support. |
Common mistakes that cost marks
- Writing about health in general instead of one clearly defined target group.
- Listing policies and dates without explaining their impact on health.
- Naming the Health Belief Model or Stages of Change without applying it to your campaign.
- Using out-of-date organisations without noting the current structure.
- Setting objectives that cannot be measured, such as “make people healthier”.
- Ignoring barriers to participation or ethical issues such as consent and victim blaming.
- Giving only strengths in an evaluation, with no limitations or counter-arguments.
How to move from Merit to Distinction
Distinction answers evaluate. For each approach, policy or campaign, ask: how far did it work, for whom, and why? Use evidence of outcomes where you can find it and say clearly when evidence is limited. Compare at least two approaches for your target group and justify your preferred option. Consider ethical tensions, such as individual freedom versus population benefit in sugar taxes or smoking restrictions. End with a reasoned conclusion and practical recommendations for improving the campaign.
FAQs
What is the difference between health promotion and health protection?
Health promotion helps people increase control over their health, for example through education or empowerment. Health protection prevents threats to health, for example immunisation, screening, food safety checks and infectious disease control.
Which behaviour change model should I use?
Choose the one that fits your target group. The Stages of Change model works well for addictive behaviours, while the Health Belief Model suits screening and vaccination uptake because it focuses on perceived risk, benefits and barriers.
Do I need statistics in my assignment?
Yes, where they support your argument. Use reliable sources such as the Office for National Statistics, NHS England or local authority health profiles, and always cite them. Do not make up figures.
Can I design my own campaign rather than review an existing one?
Many briefs allow this. If you design your own, explain how it draws on features of successful national campaigns and how you would evaluate it.
Is Unit 29 the same as Unit 8 Promoting Public Health?
Unit numbers differ between specifications. The topics overlap heavily, but always follow the learning aims and criteria printed on your own brief.
Need one-to-one support from a subject specialist? Our BTEC Level 3 Health and Social Care assignment help service covers planning, feedback on drafts and referencing.
For related units, see our guides to Unit 1 Human Lifespan Development and sociological perspectives in health and social care. If you need support planning your campaign or evaluation, you can get expert help with your BTEC assignment.
