Admission requirements
Master’s students in Psychology specialisation Health Psychology
Description
In this course, students will be taught how to develop an intervention program to promote health behaviour. For this purpose, students will work with a systematic approach to the design and implementation of effective interventions. Cases will be presented on prevention in various contexts, such as the work site, community settings, schools and hospitals. During the four lectures, students will be presented with the most recent insights into theory- and evidence-based health promotion. Theories on the determinants of health behaviour and on the processes of behavioural change will be addressed, including issues such as why do people endanger their health? Ane why are good intentions not enough to change behaviour?
During the practical sessions, students will work in groups to design an intervention aimed at improving health by preventing the onset and/or continuation of health-compromising behaviours (e.g., smoking, alcohol abuse, snacking) or by encouraging health-enhancing behaviours (e.g., exercise, fruit and vegetable consumption). Students will perform a literature search to establish a state-of-the-art summary of the relationship between (changes in) this behaviour and relevant health outcomes. They will then design an intervention model including the determinants of the behavior, based on theoretical and empirical considerations. Following this, they will work on the design of an intervention program, which is directed at a specific target group. In a final step, they will implement and evaluate part of the intervention among students at a high school.
Course objectives
Have an understanding of planned intervention development
Have experience with the application of theory and evidence with respect to understanding and changing health behaviour
Have experience with the practical aspects of conducting an intervention
Are able to recognize the promises and pitfalls of intervention development
Timetable
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (2014-2015):
Registration
Course
Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions. Please consult the Instructions registration
Mode of instruction
During the seven weeks of the course the whole process of intervention planning will be introduced and illustrated. Students will learn how to systematically design and implement an intervention.
Week 1: Problem-analysis
Week 2: Determinants of behaviour
Week 3: Methods of change
Week 4: Intervention program
Week 5+6: Developing a program component
Week 7: Conducting a program component
Week 8: Evaluation
Week 9+10: Individual assignment
Assessment method
Attendance during workgroup sessions (full attendance is mandatory)
Group assignments
Presentations during most of the workgroup sessions
Active participation
Individual assignment
The Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. Please see the information concerning fraud
Blackboard
Information on blackboard.leidenuniv.nl
Reading list
Course Reader
Bartholomew, L.K., Parcel, G.S., Kok, G., Gottlieb, N. & M.E. Fernandez (2011). Planning Health Promotion Programs. An Intervention Mapping Approach. 3rd revised edition. Jossey-Bass
Contact information
Dr. Winnie Gebhardt
room 2B29a
Tel.nr. 071-5274084
E-mail: gebhardt@fsw.leidenuniv.nl