HLTH 650: Behavior Change in Health Promotion

Changing Health Behavior provides students with an overview of the theory and application needed for assisting individuals and groups to change lifestyle behaviors related to health promotion. It includes cognitive behavior techniques to change lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, obesity, stress or diet for the reduction of chronic disease risk. Students deepen their understanding of select theories and practices necessary for effective health behavior change.

This course was developed by Dr. Liz Cotter, whose work focuses on the evaluation of culturally tailored health promotion interventions and whose research has been published in journals such as Eating Behaviors.

Course objectives:

  • Identify health concerns relevant to nutrition and eating behaviors, distinguish between health enhancing and health compromising behaviors and recommend the correct action(s) needed for treatment.
  • Construct a comprehensive plan for intervention/prevention programming focused on behavior change both for themselves and for a group of their choosing.
  • Recognize the nature of the stress response in the etiology and course of many health problems and recommend strategies to reduce stress.
  • Demonstrate the ability to track and monitor a behavior of your choice, as well as reflect thoughtfully upon your experience engaging in a behavior change and create a plan for sustainable lifelong change.

“What I believe sets health coaching apart from more traditional methods of providing guidance or education is that health coaching encourages the individual to explore and eventually resolve their own ambivalence to change.” – Dr. Liz Cotter

Topics covered include:

  • Introduction to health behavior change and health psychology
  • The link between stress and health
  • Health-enhancing and health-compromising behaviors
  • Cognitive-behavioral approaches to health interventions
  • Chronic disease management and prevention
  • Dynamics of patient/provider communication and interaction
  • In-depth practice of health coaching skills

Impact the health and well-being of your community. Click here to learn more about the online Master of Science in Nutrition Education or call 855-725-7614 to speak with an admissions adviser today.