Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant and I'll be your history teacher for today's lesson.

I'm really excited to have you joining me as we explore today's subject, and my number one priority will be to help ensure that you can meet our lesson objective for today.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our Edexcel unit on medicine in Britain.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to evaluate the effectiveness of government approaches to the prevention of illness and disease in modern Britain.

There are three key words which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are emission, pollutant, and immunity.

An emission is a gas which is sent out into the air as a result of certain actions.

A pollutant is a substance that pollutes water or the air.

And immunity is the state of being unable to catch a specific disease.

Today's lesson will be split into three parts and we'll begin by focusing on healthy environments.

In the modern period, authorities became more willing to act to prevent disease and illness.

This has included a focus on ensuring that the environments people live in are healthy.

In particular, British governments in the modern period have acted to protect people from the dangers of air pollution.

During the 19th century, improvements to sewage systems helped to manage the health problems previously created by water pollution and poor waste management.

By contrast, air pollution, which was already a serious issue in the 19th century, remained a major problem into the 20th century.

Cities like London often became covered by smog as fog combined with smoke from coal being burned in homes and factories.

These smogs contained some poisonous gases and were particularly dangerous for the very young, the elderly, and for people who suffered from breathing issues.

When London experienced four days of heavy smog in December 1952, which became known as the Great Smog, 12,000 people died.

The deadlines of the Great Smog prompted the British government to take action to manage air pollution.

In 1956, the first Clean Air Act was passed.

The Clean Air Act created smoke-controlled areas in cities which had greater restrictions on burning fuels like coal.

These restrictions were added to by later Clean Air Acts in 1968 and 1993.

By the end of the 20th century, smog was no longer a significant public health issue in the UK.

Instead, in the 21st century, government efforts to protect people from air pollution have shifted towards a focus on harmful emissions released by vehicles.

Over 30,000 people a year currently die as a result of air pollution in the UK and a risk is often higher for those living close to busy roads.

To manage this, many cities, including London, Birmingham, and Glasgow, have set up clean air or low-emission zones.

In these zones, people are charged if they drive vehicles which emit high levels of harmful pollutants.

In London, levels of nitrogen dioxide, a harmful pollutant, are now 27% lower than they would have been if the city had not introduced its ultra low emission zone, otherwise known as ULEZ, in 2019.

So thinking about what we've just heard, I want you to write the missing word from the following sentence.

When fog and smoke combines, they create thick clouds known as blank.

But what's the missing word? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the missing word was smog.

When fog and smoke combines, they create thick clouds known as smog.

And now we have a statement on the screen which reads, "Smog was a significant public health danger in the mid-20th century." But is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So why is it that that original statement was correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said smog contains poisonous gases and this led to the deaths of 12,000 people during the Great Smog in 1952.

And how did the 1956 Clean Air Act attempt to prevent smog? Was it by restricting burning fuels like coals in cities, by restricting cigarette smoking in cities, or by restricting the use of certain vehicles in cities? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was A, the 1956 Clean Air Act attempted to prevent smog by restricting burning fuels like coal in cities.

And this time I want you to change one word to correct the following statement, which reads, "Clean air and low-emission zones like ULEZ have led to a rise in emissions of harmful pollutants from vehicles in British cities." So, consider, which word appears to be incorrect and what should it be changed to? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who changed the word rise to fall.

Clean air and low-emission zones like ULEZ have led to a fall in emissions of harmful pollutants from vehicles in British cities.

So we're now in a good position to put our knowledge of healthy environments into practise.

I want you to study the source.

It comes from a woman who lived in London during the Great Smog in 1952, and she recalled that "it was a really awful fog.

There was a lot of smoke in the air because everybody had coal or wood fires in their homes and also because of traffic pollution.

The air was so dangerous that thousands of people died.

I refused to take my baby outside." So thinking about that source, firstly, what causes of air pollution does the source identify? You should provide quotes to support your answer.

And then secondly, I want you to describe two ways in which modern governments have tried to prevent air pollution.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So, firstly, I asked you what causes of air pollution did our source identify? And your answer may have included, "One source of air pollution identified by the source is people burning fuels like coal and wood.

For example, it says, 'There was a lot of smoke in the air because everybody had coal or wood fires in their homes.

' The source also identifies vehicles as a source of air pollution.

For example, it claims that the Great Smog was also caused by traffic pollution." So well done if your own response looks something like that answer which we've seen there, especially if you were using quotes to support your points.

And then secondly, I asked you to describe two ways in which modern governments have tried to prevent air pollution.

And your answer may have included, "One way in which modern governments have tried to prevent air pollution was by passing the 1956 Clean Air Act.

This created smoke controlled areas in cities with greater restrictions on burning fuels like coal to prevent smog.

Another way governments have fought air pollution is by introducing restrictions on certain vehicles.

For example, London, Birmingham, and Glasgow all have clean air or low-emission zones which charge drivers of vehicles which emit high levels of harmful pollutants.

So, again, really well done if your own response looked something like our model there.

And so now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson for today where we're going to think about mass vaccinations.

Vaccinations were first developed in the late 18th century.

Continued research has led to the development of new vaccines during the 20th and 21st centuries.

Modern governments in Britain have made notable efforts to encourage mass vaccinations against certain diseases.

During World War II, the British government worried that wartime conditions would lead to a rise in diptheria cases amongst young children.

In response to this, in 1942, authorities began a campaign which encouraged parents to vaccinate their children against diptheria.

Posters were produced to raise awareness of the dangerous posed by the disease, and vaccinations were provided free of charge.

Whereas there were over 2,000 deaths from diptheria in 1941, this figure had more than halved by 1944 and fell to zero during the mid 1960s.

Mass vaccination campaigns against other diseases, such as polio, tetanus, and COVID-19, have enjoyed similar successes.

95% of people have been vaccinated against tetanus since 1990.

And during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly 80% of people in Britain received at least one vaccine to protect themselves from the virus.

Okay, so let's make sure we have a secure understanding of everything we've just heard.

We have claims from Andeep, Jacob, and Laura about deaths from diptheria.

They all disagree with one another.

Andeep says that "deaths fell from thousands in the 1940s to zero by the mid 1960s." Jacob says that "deaths rose during the 1950s and 1960s, killing thousands." Whilst Laura says that "deaths fell in the 1940s and 1950s, but rose again in the 1960s." But who is correct? Andeep, Jacob, or Laura? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that Andeep's claim about deaths from diptheria was correct, "Deaths fell from thousands in the 1940s to zero by the mid 1960s." And let's try another question.

This time, I want you to identify two ways in which the government attempted to increase diptheria vaccinations after 1942.

You can choose from: people who refuse vaccinations were fined, posters highlighted the dangers of diptheria, rewards were given to those who accepted vaccinations, and vaccinations were provided free of charge.

Remember, we're looking for two correct answers to this question.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done ro everybody who said the correct answers were B and D.

To encourage people to receive diptheria vaccinations, the government produced posters which highlighted the dangers of diptheria and provided vaccinations free of charge.

Mass vaccination campaigns have faced opposition in the UK.

Vaccines have not been made compulsory in modern Britain, and so some people have made the choice to reject them.

In many cases, opposition to vaccines has been encouraged by disinformation.

For instance, in 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a British doctor, published a falsified study which suggested the vaccine used against measles, mumps, and rubella, otherwise known as MMR, caused autism.

Despite Wakefield's work being disproved, his claims and others like it have continued to persuade some people to reject MMR vaccines.

Uptake of the MMR vaccine is currently below official target levels, meaning that many people lack immunity against measles, mumps, and rubella.

In fact, measles cases in the UK have been rising since 2023.

Similar opposition has been seen towards the vaccines developed against COVID-19 and have sometimes been referred to as part of an anti-vax movement.

So thinking about what we just heard, why did Andrew Wakefield's work in 1998 reduce the popularity of the MMR vaccine? Was it that he developed a drug which also granted immunity, that he falsely claimed the vaccine caused autism, or that he proved the vaccine was ineffective against measles? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was B.

Andrew Wakefield's work in 1998 reduced the popularity of the MMR vaccine because he falsely claimed that the vaccine caused autism.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about mass vaccinations into practise.

We're going to split task B into two parts.

Firstly, in one paragraph, explain how government actions helped to reduce deaths from diptheria in the mid 20th century.

Then also in one paragraph, I want you to explain the effects of opposition to vaccines in the 21st century.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So, firstly, I asked in one paragraph for you to explain how government actions helped to reduce deaths from diptheria in the mid 20th century.

And your answer may have included, "In 1942, the British government began a mass vaccination campaign to try and protect young children against diptheria.

This included raising awareness about the disease, especially through the use of posters which warned parents about the dangers of diptheria.

This made people more willing to accept the diptheria vaccine.

Furthermore, because the vaccine was provided free of charge, there were no barriers to accessing it, so many people could receive it.

Consequently, whereas there were over 2,000 deaths from diptheria in 1941, there were none recorded by the mid 1960s.

And then for the second part of task B, I asked you to explain the effects of opposition to vaccines in the 21st century.

And your answer may have included, "There's been notable vaccine opposition in the 21st century.

This has included opposition to vaccines like those against measles, mumps, and rubella, MMR, and COVID-19.

This opposition has had some effects on public health.

For example, the belief that the MMR vaccine can cause autism has encouraged many people opposed to vaccines to avoid getting MMR vaccinations for their children.

As a result, there have been rising cases of diseases like measles because more people lack the immunity against them which vaccines offer.

So really well done if your own response looked something like those model answers which we've just seen.

And so now we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today where we're going to think about how healthy lifestyle campaigns.

Governments in the modern period have also attempted to prevent disease and illness by influencing people's lifestyle choices.

Lifestyle campaigns have promoted healthier choices regarding many different aspects of people's lives, including their diets.

Healthy lifestyle campaigns often focus on improving people's knowledge so that they'll be more likely to make healthier decisions.

Many lifestyle campaigns in modern Britain have focused on people's diets, not least because of rising obesity rates.

Between 1993 and 2015, obesity rates doubled in Britain.

This has coincided with a significant rise in diseases such as type 2 diabetes, which are closely associated with obesity.

The Better Health Campaign launched by the UK government in 2021 is one of many attempts to manage this public health issue.

The Better Health Campaign provided access to a free NHS weight loss plan app, advice on healthy cooking, and information about health conditions associated with obesity.

Governments have also used taxation to try and influence people's choices.

In 2018, a tax was introduced on drinks with high sugar content to discourage people from buying them.

Since the introduction of the sugar tax, there's been a small reduction in sugar consumption in the UK and money raised by the tax has been used to fund more physical activities and education about balanced diets in schools.

So thinking about what we've just heard, how did obesity rates in Britain change between 1993 and 2015? Was it that they halved, remained the same, or doubled? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was C.

Between 1993 and 2015, obesity rates in Britain doubled.

And what was introduced in 2018 to discourage people from drinking sugary drinks? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said the sugar tax was introduced in 2018 to discourage people from drinking sugary drinks.

And now I want you to identify two methods used by the Better Health Campaign to reduce obesity rates.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done if you identified any of the following methods: that they provided a free NHS weight loss plan app, that they provided advice on healthy cooking, or that information about health conditions associated with obesity was provided.

And so now we're in a good position to put all of our knowledge about healthy lifestyle campaigns into practise.

We have a view from Sam, who says that "modern government approaches to the prevention of illness and disease have had limited effectiveness." How far do you agree with Sam's view? I want you to explain your answer.

And as part of this, you should consider both the strengths and weaknesses of government attempts to prevent illness and disease.

So pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked you, how far did you agree with Sam's view? And your answer may have included, "Sam's view could be seen as correct because some illnesses and diseases have become worse in recent years despite government attempts to prevent them.

For instance, rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes have both doubled in recent decades despite healthy lifestyle campaigns intended to improve people's diets.

Similarly, despite campaigns to promote the MMR vaccines since the mid 20th century, official vaccination targets are currently being missed.

This has led to rising measles cases across Britain since 2023 as more people lack immunity to the disease.

Therefore, the effectiveness of government attempts to prevent disease could be considered limited.

However, government attempts at prevention in a modern period have also achieved significant successes.

For instance, posters which advertised the risk of diptheria and free vaccinations ensured that cases of that disease halved between 1941 and 1944.

Similar campaigns for other diseases like polio and COVID-19 have given millions of people immunity to protect them.

Similarly, Clean Air Acts introduced since 1956 and low-emission zones for vehicles have reduced the threat air pollution poses to many people in British cities.

Therefore, whilst modern governments have faced challenges in preventing particular conditions like obesity, its strategies have clearly been successful overall in protecting people from a wide range of threats to their health.

So really well done if your own response looks something like that model which we've just seen.

And so now we've reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about modern approaches to the prevention of illness and disease.

We've seen that controls on fuel burning and driving high-emission vehicles have been introduced to protect people from harmful pollutants in the air.

Mass vaccination campaigns successfully reduced death rates for a wide range of diseases, including diptheria, polio, and tetanus.

Some people refuse to receive some vaccines, and this has led to increasing rates of certain diseases like measles in the 21st century.

And education and even a sugar tax have been used to promote healthier diets in order to combat rising obesity rates in modern Britain.

So really well done for all of your efforts during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources today, and I look forward to seeing you again in future as we continue to think about medicine in Britain.