410.654.01 HEALTH COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS I: PLANNING AND STRATEGIC DESIGN

Focuses on the design, implementation, evaluation, and critique of communication interventions and campaigns designed to change behavior. Emphasizes background analysis (including situation and program analysis; policy, media, and service review; and audience analysis); strategic program design; message development; pretesting; materials production; developing and implementing a research-based distribution plan; monitoring; evaluation; and interpersonal communication and use of mass media, including "entertainment education" projects, as an integral part of health communication programs. Involves lectures, readings, computer exercises, and carrying out a health promotion program.

1. know the steps involved in developing, implementing and evaluating a health communication project, intervention or campaign. 2. be able to describe the types of research necessary to develop a health communication strategy and design a project. 3. be able to develop a workplan for a health communication project. 4. have experience designing and carrying out a sample survey to identify pre- and post-intervention knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. 5. have experience developing communication messages and materials consistent with a heatlh communication strategy. 6. be able to describe appropriate monitoring and evaluation techniques used to track and assess health communication processes and effects. 7. be able to describe the elements that make a health communication project effective and critique designs and materials used by actual health communication interventions.