Course Description:
This course will explore the contribution that behavioral and social science theories have made to the design and implementation of public health research and public health programs. The goal of many public health programs, particularly intervention programs, is to change the health behavior of a population or community. Therefore, it is critical to understand the process of behavior change in order to design effective programs. In addition to theories that address individual motivations and barriers to behavior change, public health researchers and practitioners must also draw upon constructs and concepts that explain how health behavior is shaped by the individual’s relationships to other individuals (interpersonal factors), to their geographic and cultural communities (community factors), and to the larger society (socio-political factors).