Entry requirements
Only open to master’s students in Psychology with specialisation Health and Medical Psychology (mandatory) or Occupational Health Psychology (elective).
Description
Students will learn how to develop an intervention program to promote health behavior, based on a systematic evidence-based approach. During the lectures, theories on the determinants of health behaviour (change) will be presented including recent insights in health promotion research, and vivid examples from practice. During the practical sessions, students will work in subgroups to design an intervention aimed at 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 this behaviour and relevant health outcomes. They will then design an intervention model including determinants of the behavior and methods of change, based on theoretical and empirical considerations. Following this, they will develop an intervention program and implement and evaluate part of the intervention among students at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences during the Healthy Faculty days.
Course objectives
On completion of the course students:
Have an understanding of planned intervention development;
Have experience with the application of theory and evidence with respect to understanding and changing health behaviour; and
Are able to recognize the promises and pitfalls of intervention development, including ethical concerns.
Designing interventions in a systematic evidence-based way prepares students for future work situations in which they may need to develop intervention programs or trainings for clients and patients or other groups in the general population. Students will also gain some experience with implementing such interventions.
Timetable
For the timetables of your lectures, work groups and exams, please select your study programme in:
Psychology timetables
Registration
Course
Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions.
Master’s course registration
Mode of instruction
During the course the whole process of intervention planning will be introduced and illustrated. Students will learn how to systematically design and implement an intervention. The course consists of 4 2-hour lectures, 8 work group sessions (3 hours each), and a workshop and environmental intervention for Faculty staff and/or students (one whole day).
Assessment method
Final grade is based on:
Attendance during lectures and work group sessions (full attendance is mandatory)
Group assignments
Individual assignment
The Institute of Psychology follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of this fraud policy.
Reading list
Bartholomew Eldredge, L.K., Markham, C.M., Ruiter, R.A.C., Fernández, M.E., Kok, G. & Parcel, G.S. (2016). Planning Health Promotion Programs. An Intervention Mapping Approach. 4th edition. Wiley: Jossey-Bass
Course reader (which will be made available in Blackboard)
Contact information
Dr. Winnie Gebhardt
gebhardt@fsw.leidenuniv.nl