HLTH 475: Health Behavior Change
Prerequisite: HLTH 300, 56 credit hours
Credit Hours: (3)
Introduces health behavior change theories and practical strategies for promoting
healthy behaviors. Emphasizes provider-client communication, motivational techniques,
and conflict resolution skills to enhance health outcomes.
Detailed Description of Content of the Course
Topics in this course will include, but are not limited to:
- Health misinformation
- Health literacy
- Health communication
- Patient communication and decision-making
- Conflict resolution
- Health behavior changes theories (such as the Health Belief Model, Behavioral Economics,
Diffusion of Innovations, Social Cognitive Theory, Transtheoretical Model and Stages
of Change, Social Support, etc.)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Developing client-provider trust
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Instructional strategies will include, but are not limited to:
- Lecture
- Case studies
- In-class discussions
- Role-plays
Goals and Objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, students shall be able to:
- Describe health communication theories and their impact on health behaviors.
- Use concepts of health literacy to create targeted messages.
- Discredit health misinformation on social media.
- Describe the relationship between concepts, constructs, and variables.
- Describe the various constructs involved in health behavior change theories and models,
including (but not limited to): The Health Belief Model, The Transtheoretical Model
and Stages of Change, The Theory of Reasoned Action (and the Theory of Planned Behavior),
- Social Cognitive Theory, Social Networks and Social Support, Diffusion of Innovations,
Social Marketing, and Ecological Models.
- Compare and contrast the utility of each of the theories or models in changing selected
health behaviors.
- Develop health education activities that target theoretical constructs to change health
behavior.
- Apply patient education, communication and conflict resolution strategies in a variety
of professional scenarios.
Assessment Measures
Assessment measures will include, but are not limited to:
- Exams
- Group assignments
- Projects
- Presentations
- Papers
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
April 2006 Reviewed by Beverly Zeakes
May, 2011
November 10, 2026