Behaviour Change for Health and Wellbeing: Translating Theory into Practice MED5648

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Health and Wellbeing
  • Credits: 10
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2 (Alternate Years)
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Taught Wholly by Distance Learning: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course will explore some of the main behaviour change theories, frameworks, and techniques available within the current body of evidence and understand their potential influence on promoting healthy behaviours within an adult population. Promoting healthy behaviour is complex; however, there are many behaviour change theories and techniques that can support individuals to adopt positive health behaviours. The course is well suited to prospective students looking to pursue a career in public health and/or allied healthcare professionals who want to deepen their understanding of the key aspects of behaviour change within a health context and apply these skills to their professional practice.

Timetable

Online course over 10 weeks.

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

NA

Co-requisites

NA

Assessment

■ Recorded presentation - 5 mins (40%) [ILO 2, 3]

■ Written assessment - 600 words (60%) [ILO 1, 2, 3] 

The written assessment will involve designing a behaviour change intervention for a population and setting of choice. Consideration of context, and rational for use of theory and behaviour change techniques should be included.

Course Aims

The overall aim of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the major theoretical models applied to explaining and changing health behaviours. Students will gain an appreciation of the key challenges of implementing behaviour change interventions across different healthcare settings, along with other contextual issues. The course aims to provide students with the knowledge and practical skills to confidently evaluate and design theoretically based behaviour change interventions within their professional practice and effectively communicate this knowledge.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate dominant behaviour change theories/models applied within a health context.

2. Develop and communicate an evidence-based theory of change. 

3. Demonstrate understanding of the principles underpinning the development and evaluation of health behaviour change interventions.

 

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.