HSC 412 Module 2 Interview Assignment: Health in Later Life Example

Reviewed by Emmett Rockwell, MBA Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This HSC 412 Module 2 sample is the Interview Assignment in Health Issues in Later Life, an aging-focused class in ASU Health Sciences. Worth 50 points, the ASU HSC 412 interview assignment asks students to interview two people aged 50 or older about the good and bad in their health, what they think caused each, how they look after themselves and where they get health information. The composite student interviewed a 71-year-old retired mail carrier and a 58-year-old school cafeteria manager in the Phoenix area. The report introduces each person, summarizes their answers question by question, compares them with research on smoking, physical activity and information seeking and reflects on what the contrast shows about aging and prevention.

CourseHSC 412 Health Issues in Later Life
ModuleModule 2
Paper typeInterview report
LengthAbout 529 words, 4 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramBS in Health Sciences
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for HSC 412 Module 2

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Two Lives, Two Health Stories: Interviews With Adults Over 50

Student Name

BS in Health Sciences, Arizona State University

HSC 412: Health Issues in Later Life

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title signals a comparison of two interviewees, the structure the paper follows.
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Two Lives, Two Health Stories: Interviews With Adults Over 50

The Interviewees

Mr. D., 71, is a retired mail carrier in Mesa who walked a route for 28 years. He smoked from 18 to 45. Ms. R., 58, manages a school cafeteria in Glendale and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes six years ago. Both agreed to be interviewed and asked that only initials be used.

Positive Aspects of Health

Mr. D. described his heart and lungs as "better than I deserve" and said he still walks four miles most mornings. Ms. R. named her energy at work and the fact that her last A1C test was "finally in range" as the best parts of her health.

Negative Aspects of Health

Mr. D. has arthritis in both knees and mild hearing loss. Ms. R. listed her diabetes, weight gain since menopause and trouble sleeping.

What They Attribute Each To

Mr. D. credits his heart to quitting smoking and to decades of walking his route. He blames his knees on "28 years of pavement." His view that quitting at 45 saved him fits evidence from the British Doctors Study, in which men who stopped smoking at 40 to 50 regained much of the life expectancy they would otherwise have lost (Doll et al., 2004).

Ms. R. attributes her diabetes partly to family history, since her mother and two aunts had it, and partly to years of eating "on the run" and skipping exercise while raising children. She credits her improved blood sugar to a diabetes class at her clinic.

What They Do to Maintain Health

Mr. D. walks daily, gets a yearly checkup and recently started a hearing aid trial. Ms. R. takes metformin, checks her blood sugar, walks after dinner three evenings a week and packs her lunch. Measured against the national activity guideline, Mr. D.'s daily walks clear the weekly target with room to spare, while Ms. R.'s three evening walks, about 90 minutes, do not reach it (Piercy et al., 2018).

What this page is doingTying each answer to a guideline or study turns the interview from a conversation into an analysis, which the rubric rewards.
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Where They Find Health Information

Mr. D. trusts his doctor and the AARP magazine and avoids the internet for health questions. Ms. R. searches online first, then asks her diabetes educator, and said online searching is "overwhelming, half of it is selling something." Her experience echoes national survey findings that only about four in ten adults who searched for health information online reported finding it without frustration (Finney Rutten et al., 2019).

Comparison and Reflection

Both interviewees connected their current health to decisions made decades earlier, which supports a life course view of aging: health in later life accumulates from habits, work and family history. Mr. D. sees his health largely as the result of one big decision, quitting, while Ms. R. sees hers as daily management of a chronic condition. Their information sources differed by age and comfort with technology, which matters for health educators: older adults may need trusted clinicians and print sources, while adults in their fifties may need help judging online information. I was struck by how much both valued being able to keep working or walking, which suggests that function, not diagnosis, is what people mean by health as they age.

References

Doll, R., Peto, R., Boreham, J., & Sutherland, I. (2004). Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observations on male British doctors. BMJ, 328(7455), 1519. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.38142.554479.AE

Finney Rutten, L. J., Blake, K. D., Greenberg-Worisek, A. J., Allen, S. V., Moser, R. P., & Hesse, B. W. (2019). Online health information seeking among US adults: Measuring progress toward a Healthy People 2020 objective. Public Health Reports, 134(6), 617-625. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354919874074

Piercy, K. L., Troiano, R. P., Ballard, R. M., Carlson, S. A., Fulton, J. E., Galuska, D. A., George, S. M., & Olson, R. D. (2018). The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA, 320(19), 2020-2028. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.14854

HSC 412 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms

The Interview Assignment in HSC 412 is worth 50 points, 11% of the course, and comes in Module 2, which focuses on learning first-hand about age-associated health. Interview two people aged 50 or older about their health and background. The syllabus asks you to cover the positive and negative aspects of each person's health, what each person attributes those aspects to, such as genes, environment or past decisions like smoking or diet, what they are doing to improve or maintain their health and where they find health information. The assignment page in Canvas lists the exact questions, guidelines and rubric, so use them as your interview guide and as headings for your report. Interviews usually take 20 to 40 minutes each; schedule them early in the module.

How this HSC 412 Module 2 example is built

The sample introduces both interviewees briefly with initials only, then follows the required questions as headings, giving each person's answer in turn. Answers are linked to evidence: a cohort study on quitting smoking, the national activity guideline and a survey on online health information. A comparison and reflection section draws out a life course theme, contrasts how the two see their health and explains what the differences mean for health educators. Interviewees' own words are quoted briefly where they reveal how each person sees their health, which keeps the report grounded in what was actually said. Each interviewee's answers appear under the same headings, which makes the comparison easy to follow and shows the rubric's questions were all asked.

Reading the HSC 412 Module 2 grading rubric

The assignment is worth 50 points. Readers check that two people aged 50 or older were interviewed, that every required question is answered for both, that attributions are reported in the interviewees' own terms, that the student connects answers to course concepts or evidence and that the reflection goes beyond summary. Marks drop for missing questions, for one interview treated in depth and the other briefly, for identifying details that breach privacy and for reflections that only restate the answers. Instructors also reward reports that notice differences between the two interviewees and explain them with course concepts such as the life course or health literacy.

HSC 412 Module 2 help with common mistakes

Choose interviewees of different ages, backgrounds or health situations so the comparison is richer. Ask permission and use initials only. Use the assignment's questions in order and take notes or record with consent. Ask follow-up questions about why they think something happened. After the interviews, find one source that explains or challenges each person's view. If you are nervous about interviewing, the desk can help you practice questions. Thank your interviewees and offer them a copy of a health resource you found useful. Summarize each interview in writing the same day while details are fresh. Proofread for privacy: remove any detail that could identify your interviewees.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

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More HSC 412 and BS in Health Sciences sample papers

HSC 412 Module 2 questions, answered

Where can I find a free HSC 412 Module 2 sample paper?

The full interview report on two adults over 50 is on this page.

Who should I interview for HSC 412?

Two people aged 50 or older, about their health and background.

What questions does the HSC 412 interview cover?

Positive and negative aspects of health, what they attribute each to, what they do to stay healthy and where they get health information.

Should I use interviewees' names?

Use initials or pseudonyms to protect privacy.

How much is the HSC 412 interview assignment worth?

50 points, 11% of the course grade.