410.616.11 SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Lectures, readings and small group discussions examine the impact of social and behavioral factors on health and what can be done to influence them. The first half covers major social factors influencing health and behavior; the second outlines modes of interventions used in the prevention of disease and injury at a variety of levels.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 1) Recognize the role of social and behavioral factors in shaping global mortality and morbidity; 2) Understand and be able to apply an perspective to health problems; 3) Display basic literacy with key concepts of a social and behavioral approach to public health, including culture, race/ethnicity, gender, poverty/disparities, factors related to individual behavior change, community empowerment and structural policy change; 4) Identify and critique individual versus environmental approaches to health; 5) Make a case for the importance of focusing on social and behavioral factors as part of a comprehensive public health strategy.