Planning Behaviour Change Programmes
Full course description
Health and social psychologists in the field apply state-of-the-art theories and research to health, ecology, discrimination and safety problems in real-life settings. This course introduces a process for designing behaviour change programmes (Intervention Mapping) to mitigate these problems. Students are guided through a series of steps that will assist them in applying psychological theories and evidence in developing behaviour change interventions, while adopting a social ecological approach. Steps include: a needs assessment and identification of the programme goals; selecting intervention methods and translating methods into applications and programmes; and planning for implementation and evaluation of the programme. Participants study the theoretical background of each step and work in small groups to create a (fictive) behaviour change program for a health or societal problem. Lectures introduce the various steps and provide illustrative examples of Intervention Mapping applications. The corresponding practical ‘Applying Theories in Intervention Development’ is integrated into this Planning Behaviour Change course.
The final assessment for this course is a numerical grade between 0,0 and 10,0.
Course objectives
Students:
- explain the rationale for a systematic approach to intervention development;
- describe an ecological approach to intervention development;
- explain and apply the types of logic models that can be used to conceptualise various phases of programme development;
- list and apply the steps and processes of Intervention Mapping;
- explain and apply core processes for developing theory- and evidence-based interventions;
- demonstrate understanding of the Intervention Mapping protocol and its application to solving public health and safety problems.
- R.A.C. Ruiter
- G.A. ten Hoor