Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action from Coursera

What's inside

Syllabus

Welcome to the course

How do we define health? What social and behavioral factors contribute to health outcomes? How can we apply some of the key theories of behavior change to improve our nutritional, physical, and mental health?

Nutrition Part 1

How does our diet affect our health? What are some effective interventions for improving our dietary choices?

Nutrition Part 2

How do we define obesity? What role does personal responsibility play in nutritional health? How does food marketing affect our dietary choices?

Physical Activity Part 1

What are the health benefits of exercise? Why is it difficult to measure physical activity levels? How can we encourage more active lifestyles?

Physical Activity Part 2

What factors contribute to regular physical activity? Why is it important for older adults to have active lifestyles? What works and doesn’t work when it comes to physical activity promotion?

Mental Health Part 1

How prevalent are mental disorders? What is the impact of depression on both the individual and on society? What are some effective treatments for depression?

Mental Health Part 2

Can positive affect impact health? How can we diagnose and treat anxiety disorders? What role does stress play in our overall health?

Conclusion

What happens when students undergo behavior change experiments? What can we learn from the research findings? This course, Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action, has provided an introduction to behavioral theory, as it pertains to health and health care delivery. We explored the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health decisions and behaviors across three domains: nutrition, physical activity, and mental health. Most importantly, we engaged in personal behavior change projects that helped us understand the challenges in promoting and sustaining long-term behavior change at both the individual and global levels.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Covers common health dimensions and applies behavioral change toward those domains

Explores determinants of health, from the individual to the societal level

Emphasizes the importance of evidence-based practice and behavior change interventions

Provides learners with opportunities to apply theory to practice through personal behavior change projects

Taught by instructors with expertise in health behavior change research and practice

Suitable for a diverse audience, including healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, and individuals seeking to improve their health and well-being

Reviews summary

Health behavior change: evidence-based tools

Learners say this course provides engaging assignments that help students to change their own health behaviors while teaching evidence-based theories and strategies. The course is largely positive with 96% of students giving it a score of 4 or 5 out of 5. Instructor Marney White is described as engaging and knowledgeable, and the course content is said to be well-organized and practical. Students particularly appreciate the interactive discussion forums and the opportunity to apply learning to their own lives.

Although the course can be difficult, students find it rewarding and life-changing.

"It was a real opportunity for me to take a course from such a distinguished university (Yale) and Professor (Marney White)."

"This has been an inspiring course as so many have said."

Weekly discussions allow students to ask questions and share experiences with each other.

"I enjoyed this. Dr. White was engaging and modules were separated in a way that was easy to follow and digest."

"The course has motivated to change my behavior esp. in continuing my physical exercise routine with the concept of reinforcement."

Marney White is praised for her engaging teaching style and expertise.

"Marney is a great professor, and very engaging."

"I thought the instructor was very knowledgeable and I really liked her teaching style."

Students apply course learnings to create personalized health behavior change plans.

"My participation in efforts to change my own health behaviors was enormously informative."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action with these activities:

Watch videos on behavior change theories

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Build a foundational understanding of behavior change and how it can be applied to health promotion and disease prevention.

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Find videos on behavior change theories on YouTube or other video-sharing platforms
Watch the videos and take notes

Compile a list of relevant health factors

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Challenging students to think critically about what factors beyond access to healthcare affect peoples health

Browse courses on Social Determinants of Health

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Brainstorm a list of factors that can affect health
Research the social determinants of health
Add information and research to your list
Review your list and identify the most relevant factors

Participate in a cooking class

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Gain practical meal-prepping skills while exploring healthy recipes.

Browse courses on Nutrition

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Find a cooking class in your area
Sign up for the class
Attend the class and learn how to cook healthy meals

Three other activities

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Attend a health fair

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Gives students an opportunity to learn about different health resources and connect with health professionals

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Find a health fair in your area
Attend the health fair and visit different booths
Talk to health professionals and learn about different health resources

Complete food and exercise logs

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Helps students understand the relationship between nutrition and exercise

Browse courses on Nutrition

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Track your food intake for 3 days
Track your physical activity for 3 days
Analyze your logs to identify patterns
Make changes to your diet and exercise routine based on your findings

Develop a health promotion campaign

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Challenges students to apply their knowledge of social and behavioral factors to create a plan to improve the health of a specific population.

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Choose a health issue to focus on
Develop a target audience
Create a message and develop a plan to disseminate it
Test and refine your campaign

Career center

Learners who complete Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Health Educator

Health educators work to improve the health of individuals and communities by promoting healthy behaviors and preventing disease. This course would provide health educators with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively design and implement health promotion programs. The course would also help health educators understand the challenges of promoting and sustaining long-term behavior change.

See salaries and explore the career path for Health Educator

Epidemiologist

Epidemiologists study the causes of disease and other health problems in populations. This course would provide a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes, which is essential knowledge for epidemiologists. The course would also help epidemiologists understand how to design and conduct studies to investigate health problems and develop effective interventions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Epidemiologist

Health Policy Analyst

Health policy analysts research and analyze health policy issues and make recommendations for changes to improve the health of the population. This course would provide health policy analysts with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help health policy analysts understand how to design and evaluate health policies.

See salaries and explore the career path for Health Policy Analyst

Behavior Analyst

Behavior analysts use the principles of behavior to change behavior. This course would provide behavior analysts with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help behavior analysts understand how to design and implement behavior change interventions.

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Registered Dietitian

Registered dietitians provide nutrition counseling and education to individuals and groups. This course would provide registered dietitians with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to healthy eating. The course would also help registered dietitians understand how to design and implement nutrition interventions.

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Health Psychologist

Health psychologists study the psychological factors that contribute to health and illness. This course would provide health psychologists with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help health psychologists understand how to design and implement health promotion programs.

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Public Health Nurse

Public health nurses work to improve the health of communities. This course would provide public health nurses with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help public health nurses understand how to design and implement health promotion programs.

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Health Communications Specialist

Health communications specialists develop and disseminate health information to the public. This course would provide health communications specialists with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help health communications specialists understand how to communicate effectively with different audiences about health issues.

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Global Health Researcher

Global health researchers study the health of populations in developing countries. This course would provide global health researchers with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes in these countries. The course would also help global health researchers understand how to design and implement interventions to improve health in developing countries.

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Physician

Physicians diagnose and treat diseases and injuries. This course would provide physicians with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help physicians understand how to communicate with patients about health behavior change and motivate them to make healthy choices.

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Physical Therapist

Physical therapists help people with disabilities or injuries improve their movement and function. This course would provide physical therapists with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help physical therapists understand how to design and implement interventions to promote healthy behaviors and prevent disease.

See salaries and explore the career path for Physical Therapist

Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapists help people with disabilities or injuries improve their ability to perform everyday tasks. This course would provide occupational therapists with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help occupational therapists understand how to design and implement interventions to promote healthy behaviors and prevent disease.

See salaries and explore the career path for Occupational Therapist

Environmental Health Specialist

Environmental health specialists work to protect the public from environmental hazards. This course would provide environmental health specialists with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help environmental health specialists understand how to design and implement interventions to reduce environmental hazards and promote public health.

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Social Worker

Social workers help individuals and families cope with social and emotional problems. This course would provide social workers with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help social workers understand how to work with clients to promote healthy behaviors and prevent disease.

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Speech-Language Pathologist

Speech-language pathologists help people with speech, language, and swallowing disorders. This course would provide speech-language pathologists with a strong foundation in the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health outcomes. The course would also help speech-language pathologists understand how to design and implement interventions to promote healthy behaviors and prevent disease.

See salaries and explore the career path for Speech-Language Pathologist