Programs | Current Students  | Prospective Students  |  Alumni  |  Faculty

EPID 605    James May, MD  

Epidemiology of Health Behaviors
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: BIOS 543 and EPID 571. Provides an overview of the epidemiology of specific health-related behaviors, the relationships between these behaviors and health outcomes, and available evidence for the effectiveness and appropriateness of various approaches to modification of these behaviors. This material will be covered in the contexts of theories of health-related behavior and of methodological issues concerning the assessment of these behaviors and their relationships to outcomes of interest. The applicability of this material to underserved populations will be emphasized. The course format, as far as possible, will be that of an interactive seminar. Spring semester

 

Course: ECH 605 Epidemiology of Health Behaviors

Credit: Three (3) credit hours

Instructor: James C. May, Ph.D.

Department of Epidemiology & Community Health

P. O. Box 980212

E-mail: mayj@rbha.org

Phone: (804) 819-4012

Fax: (804) 819-4269

MPH Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia’s MPH program is to promote, preserve, and restore health. This mission is accomplished by training students to be effective practitioners of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to effectively conduct public health needs assessment of populations; perform program planning and evaluation; conduct appropriate research to address identified needs; and to work with communities to generally enhance, protect, and promote the health and well-being of populations at risk.

The MPH program emphasizes community service for underserved populations by working closely with local counties, municipalities, and state agencies, as well as to develop professional opportunities for program students and graduates. The program is also designed to enhance the University’s mission and the School of Medicine Strategic Plan.

Americans with Disabilities Act Notice

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires Virginia Commonwealth University to provide reasonable accommodation to any individual who advises us of a physical or mental disability. If you have a disability, which requires accommodation, please arrange a meeting with me to discuss this as soon as possible. Also, i If you have a physical or mental limitation that requires an accommodation or an academic adjustment, please go to the Americans with Disabilities web site.

 

“Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 require Virginia Commonwealth University to provide an ‘academic adjustment’ and/or a ‘reasonable accommodation’ to any individual who advises us of a physical or mental disability. If you have a physical or mental limitation that requires an academic adjustment or an accommodation, please arrange a meeting with me at your earliest convenience. Additionally, if your coursework requires you to work in a lab environment, you should advise the instructor or department chairperson of any concerns you may have regarding safety issues related to your limitation(s).”

It is VCU policy that this ADA/EEO Statement must appear on promotional material.

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation or disability. If special accommodations are needed, please contact:

Karen P. Bryant, Graduate Programs Coordinator
Epidemiology & Community Health
1000 E. Clay Street, room 324
P.O. Box 980212
Richmond, VA  23298-0212

(804)  828-9786 voice
[804] 828-9773 fax

Honor System Notice

All students are at all times expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the VCU Honor Code, the full text of which can be found at the University’s website (http://www.vcu.edu/safweb/rg/policies/rg7honor.html). It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with its provisions. In brief, however, appropriate conduct includes but is not limited to:

• refraining from committing any act of cheating, plagiarizing, facilitating academic dishonesty, abusing academic materials, stealing, lying, or soliciting others to engage in any of the above;
• refraining from acts of intimidation, threats of physical harm, or threats of retribution in an attempt to prevent the testimony of another member of the University Community at any time after charges have been made; and
• reporting every instance in which there is suspicion or knowledge that academic conduct, which violates this policy or its spirit, has taken place to the faculty member responsible for instruction, or to a member of the MCV Honor Council.

 I. Course Description

The course emphasizes applications of epidemiology with respect to approaches to measurement, terminology, and analytic methods used in the study of health and behavior, providing the student basic knowledge about epidemiological applications in the study of behaviors which impact health outcomes. Relationships between potentially modifiable behaviors and the development of and recovery from certain diseases will be explored, researched, discussed and reviewed. The course provides students with the fundamental language, concepts, and constructs associated with the scientific method, including inductive and deductive reasoning, the role of theory, problem definition, and hypothesis formulation as applied in the study of human behaviors which impact health. The course also provides instruction in the design, implementation, analysis and interpretation of behavioral health and health behavior research studies, with a broad overview of the theory and analytic strategies for various research designs, including types of comparison groups, as well as examples of appropriate applications. The course utilizes a highly interactive seminar format.

 

II. Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Understand the basic concepts of health and human behaviors
• Describe the distribution and magnitude of the most prevalent health outcomes in relation to human health behaviors
• Understand and apply the various epidemiologic methods utilized to assess and measure public health behaviorsand their relationship with selected health outcomes.
• Understand issues related to epidemiological study design and statistical analysis.
• Critically appraise epidemiologic literature in the field of public health behaviors.
• Describe health behavior theory and epidemiologic methods used to understand the epidemiology of specific risk and resiliency behaviors.
• Describe models of behavior change, and evaluate the adequacy of intervention studies designed to modify health-compromising or health enhancing behaviors.
• Design health behavior interventions.

 

Text and Materials

Required:

• Taylor, Shelley E. Health Psychology (5 th Edition) New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2002
• Cozby, Paul C. Methods in Behavioral Research. (8 th Edition) New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 2004
• Carnethon, M.R., Gidding, S.S., Nehgme, R., Sidney, S., Jacobs, D.R. & Liu, K. (2003). Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Young Adulthood and the Development of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors. JAMA, 290, 3092 – 3100.
• He, Ka, Rimm, E.B., Merchant, A, Stampfer, M.J., Willett, W.C. & Ascherio, A. (2002). Fish Consumption and the Risk of Stroke in Men. JAMA, 288, 3130-3136.
• Cauce, A.M., Paradise, M., Domenech-Rodriguez, M., Cochran, B.N., Shea, J.M., Srebnik, D. & Baydar, N. (2002). Cultural and Contextual Influences in Mental Health Help Seeking: A Focus on Ethnic Minority Youth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 44-55
• Clark, D.B. & Winters, K.C. (2002). Measuring Risks and Outcomes in Substance Use Disorders Prevention Research. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 70, 1207-1223.
• Armstrong, T.D. & Costello, E.J. (2002). Community Studies on Adolescent Substance Use, Abuse, or Dependence and Psychiatric Comorbidity. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 70, 1207 – 1223.
• Narayan, K.M.V., Boyle, J.P., Thompson, T.J., Sorensen, S.W. & Williamson, D.F. (2003). Lifetime Risk for Diabetes Mellitus in the United States. JAMA, 290, 1884 – 1890.
• Greenland, P., LaBree, L., Azen, S.P., Doherty, T.M., & Detrano, R.C. (2004). Coronary Artery Calcium Score Combined With Framingham Score for Risk Prediction in Asymptomatic Individuals. JAMA, 291, 210 – 215.
• Kenford, S.L., Wetter, D.W., Smith, S.S., Baker, T.B., Jorenby, D. E. & Fiore, M. C. (2002). Predicting Relapse Back to Smoking: Contrasting Affective and Physical Models of Dependence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 216 – 227.
• Chassin, L., Pitts, S.C. & Prost, J. (2002). Binge Drinking Trajectories From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood in a High-Risk Sample: Predictors and Substance Abuse Outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 67 – 78.
• Ebel, EB, Koepsell, TD, Bennett, EE & Rivara, FP (2003). Use of Child Booster Seats in Motor Vehicles Following a Community Campaign: A Controlled Trial. JAMA, 289 (7), 879 - 884.
• Steinman , MA , Landefeld, CS & Gonzales, R (2003). Predictors of Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Adult Primary Care. JAMA, 289 (6), 719-725.

Suggested / Optional:

• Kaplan RM, Sallis JF Jr., Patterson TL. Health and Human Behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993
• Gochman, David S. Handbook of Health Behavior Research. Plenum Press, New York. 1997.
• Graham Kalton. Introduction to Survey Sampling. Series. Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. Sage Publication.
• Jean M. Converse and Stanley Presser. Survey Questions: Hand Crafting The Standardized Questionnaire. Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. Sage Publication.
• Stanton B, Cole M, Galbraith J, et al (2004). Randomized trial of a parent intervention: Parents can make a difference in long-term adolescent risk behaviors, perceptions, and knowledge. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 158, 947 – 955.
• Lefkowitz ES, Romo LF, Corona R, et al. (2000). How Latino American and European American adolescents discuss conflicts, sexuality, and AIDs with their mothers. Developmental Psychology, 36, 315-325.
• Zemore SE, Kaskutas LA, Ammon LN (2004). In 12-step groups, helping helps the helper. Addiction, 99, 1015-1023.
• Roberts LJ, Salem D, Rappaport J, Toro PA, (1999). Giving and receiving help: interpersonal transactions in mutual-help meetings and psychosocial adjustment of members. American Journal of Community Psychology; 27, 841-867.
• Teri, L., Gibbons, L.E., McCurry, S.M., Logsdon, R.G., Buchner, D.M., Barlow, W.E., Kukull, W.A., LaCroix, A.Z., McCormick, W.& Larson, E.B. (2003). Exercise Plus Behavioral Management in Patients With Alzheimer Disease. JAMA, 290, 2015 – 2021.
• Costello, E.J., Compton, S.N., Keller, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Relationship Between Poverty and Psychopathology. JAMA, 290, 2023 – 2029.
• Rutter, M. (2003). Poverty and Child Mental Health. JAMA, 290, 2063 – 2064.
• Lee, IM. (2003). Physical Activity in Woman. JAMA, 290, 1377 – 1378.
• McTiernan, A., Kooperberg, C., White, E., Wilcox, S., Coates, R., Adams-Campbell, L.L., Woods, N.& Ockene, J. (2003). Recreational Physical Activity and the Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women. JAMA, 290, 1331 – 1336.
• Jackicic, J.M., Marcus, B.H., Gallagher, K.I., Napolitano, M. & Lang, W. (2003). Effect of Exercise Duration and Intensity on Weight Loss in Overweight Sedentary Woman. JAMA, 290, 1323 – 1327.
• Monra, S., Redberg, R.F., Cui, Y., Whiteman, M.K., Flaws, J.A., Sharrett, A.R. & Blumenthal, R.S. (2003). Ability of Exercise Testing to Predict Cardiovascular and All-Cause Death in Asymptomatic Woman. JAMA, 290, 1600 – 1607
• Baldessarini, R.J. & Tondo, L. (2003). Suicide Risk and Treatments for Patients With Bipolar Disorder. JAMA, 290, 1517 – 1518.
• Goodwin, F.K., Fireman, B., Simon, G.E., Hunkeler, E.M., Lee, J. & Revicki, D. (2003). Suicide Risk in Bipolar Disorder During Treatment With Lithium and Divalproex. JAMA, 290, 1467 – 1473.
• Glass, R.M. (2003). Awareness About Depression. JAMA, 290, 3169 – 3170.
• Insel, T.R. & Charney, D.S. (2003). Research on Major Depression. JAMA, 290, 3167 – 3168.
• Frasure-Smith, N. & Lesperance, R. (2003). Depression-A Cardiac Risk Factor in Search of a Treatment. JAMA, 289, 3171 – 3173.
• Keller, M.B. (2003). Past, Present, and Future Directions for Defining Optimal Treatment Outcome in Depression. JAMA, 289, 3152 – 3160.
• Stewart, W.F., Ricci, J.A., Chee, E., Hahn, S. R. & Morganstein, D. (2003). Cost of Lost Productive Work Time Among US Workers With Depression. JAMA, 289, 3135 – 3144.
• Writing Committee for the ENRICHD Investigators (2003). Effects of Treating Depression and Low Perceived Social Support on Clinical Events After Myocardial Infarction. JAMA, 289, 3171 – 3116.
• Kessler, R.C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Koretz, D., Merikangas, K.R., Rush, A.J., Walters, E.E. & Wang, P.S. (2003). The Epidemiology of Major Depressive Disorder. JAMA, 289, 3095 – 3105.
• Minkovitz, C.S., Hughart, N., Strobino, D., Scharfstein, D., Grason, H., Hou, W., Miller, T., Bishai, D., Augustyn, M., LcLearn, K.T. & Guyer B. (2003). A Practice-Based Intervention to Enhance Quality of Care in the First 3 years of Life. JAMA, 290, 3081 – 3091.
• Halfon, N. & Inkelas, M. (2003). Optimizing the Health and Development of Children. JAMA, 290, 3136 – 3138.
• Metropolitan Area Child Study Research Group (2002). A Cognitive-Ecological Approach to Preventing Aggression in Urban Settings: Initial Outcomes for High-Risk Children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 179 – 194.
• Gurwitz, J.H., Field, T.S., Harrold, L.R., Roghschild, J., Debellis, K., Seger, A.C., Cadoret, C. Fish, L.S., Garber, L., Kelleher, M. & Bates, D.W. (2003). Incidence and Preventability of Adverse Drug Events Among Older Persons in the Ambulatory Setting. JAMA, 289, 1107 – 1116.
• Rogowski, J.A., Horbar, J.D., Staiger, D.O., Kenny, M., Carpenter, J. & Geppert, J. (2004). Indirect vs Direct Hospital Quality Indicators for Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants. JAMA, 291, 202 – 209.
• Toole, J.F., Malinow, R.M., Chambless, L.E., Spencer, J.D., Pettigrew, L.C., Howard, V.J., Sides, E.G., Wang, C. & Stampfer, M. (2004). Lowering Homocysteine in Patients With Ischemic Stroke to Prevent Recurrent Stroke, Myocardial Infarction, and Death. JAMA, 291, 565 – 575.
• Hanley, D.F. (2004) The Challenge of Stroke Prevention. JAMA, 291, 621 – 622.

Course Evaluation

1) Homework assignments 15%

2) Class presentation 25%

3) Class participation 10%

4) Mid-term 25%

• Final exam 25%

 

Written Homework Assignments: Three homework assignments will be given during the term. The assignments will help students to understand and critically analyze the content and methodologies used in selected scientific articles. Students will be provided with basic guidelines for structuring critiques of assigned articles or survey instruments. The content of assigned articles may be discussed in class and may appear on the mid-term and final exams.

 

Class Presentations: Each student will prepare one 15-20 minute (approximately) presentation on selected health outcomes or disease states, with an emphasis on reviewing selected literature pertaining to the relationship of behavior change interventions to the prevention of illness or improved health outcomes in ill or at risk populations. The presentation will consist of the distribution, magnitude and seriousness of selected diseases or behaviors which impact disease or health outcomes in the United States, intervention which have been undertaken to change those behaviors and an evaluation of the outcomes from relevant intervention studies. Students will be asked to highlight those interventions shown to have the most promise in changing the targeted behaviors. For this assignment, students negotiate, with the instructor, a topic areas and a series of questions each presentation should address. Handouts will be required for the entire class.

 

Class Participation: Students are expected to read the assigned text and articles and participate in discussions.

Topics and Readings

Date	Topic	Reading Assignments
01/19	Introductions, course overview Describe class overview and class expectations Distinguish between required versus optional reading material Understand basic requirements & guidelines for class presentations, including handouts with references Describe examples of research topics and questions to be answered for class presentations Describe example of research article analysis Provide model of how behavior impacts health utilizing cancer as an example	Taylor (5 th Edition) – Chapters 1& 2 Cozby (8th Edition) - Chapters 1 & 2
01/26	Introduce basic terminology in the study of health and human behaviors Distinguish behavioral health, behavioral medicine, behavioral epidemiology & health psychology – distinctions & common ground Describe and distinguish historical perspectives of psychological influences upon health Describe history and background of behavioral epidemiology: mind-body dualism; psychosomatic medicine; biological psychiatry; behavioral medicine; modern views of mind-body interaction Describe the biopsychosocial model	Cozby (8 th Edition) - Chapter 3 Taylor (5 th Edition) – Chapter 3   He, Ka, Rimm, E.B., Merchant, A, Stampfer, M.J., Willett, W.C. & Ascherio, A. (2002). Fish Consumption and the Risk of Stroke in Men. JAMA, 288, 3130-3136.

02/02	Class presentations begin; continued introduction to the field Describe biopsychosocial model strengths & limitations; clinical implications of same Describe the transition from the Age of Infectious Disease to the Age of Chronic Illness Distinguish approaches to learning about health and behavior Describe scientific method as preferred method of inquiry & research into health-behavior relationships Describe and distinguish basic epidemiological terminology in behavioral epidemiology: descriptive and inferential epidemiology	Cozby, (8 th Edition) Chapter 4 Taylor (5 th Edition) Chapter 4   Clark, D.B. & Winters, K.C. (2002). Measuring Risks and Outcomes in Substance Use Disorders Prevention Research. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 70, 1207-1223. Note: Mid-Term Exam will be March 9, 2005 Material to be Covered: Primary: All reading assignments, lectures to date Secondary: All class presentations, to date
02/09	Class presentations continue; introduction to the study of behavior change; types of validity Describe and understand the special considerations of ethics, cost benefit analyses; use of deception in behavioral research; informed consent and privacy and confidentiality in human subjects research Understand concepts of measurement in behavioral research - reliability & validity Describe types of reliability and validity Understand the r eactivity of measures Describe Stanford 3-community study as an example of experimental, prospective prevention study	Cozby, (8 th Edition) Chapter 5 Taylor (5 th Edition) Chapter 5 Homework #1 - Due at the beginning of Class, Wednesday, February 16, 2005 Armstrong, T.D. & Costello, E.J. (2002). Community Studies on Adolescent Substance Use, Abuse, or Dependence and Psychiatric Comorbidity.Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 70, 1207-1223.
02/16	Class presentations continue; research design and methodologies, continued; models of behavior change Describe the construct of variable in experimental method and behavioral intervention studies Distinguish independent and dependent variables in health behavior intervention studies Understand how variables must be defined in terms of method used to measure or manipulate it Models of behavior change: classical & operant conditioning; reinforcement paradigms	Cozby, (8 th Edition) Chapter 6 Taylor (5 th Edition) Chapter 6   Carnethon, M.R., Gidding, S.S., Nehgme, R., Sidney, S., Jacobs, D.R. & Liu, K. (2003). Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Young Adulthood and the Development of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors. JAMA, 290, 3092 – 3100.
02/23	Continued introduction to models of behavior change; behavior change as prevention Describe conditions which allow for inferences of causality in behavioral studies Define health behaviors, health habits, and primary prevention Summarize the relationship of individual difference variables Describe health-habit factors that undermine health practices. Summarize the findings of research investigating the success of health promotion and primary prevention efforts across the lifespan and with at-risk people. Describe ethnic and gender differences in health behaviors.	Cozby, (8 th Edition) Chapter 7 Taylor (5 th Edition) Chapter 7   Greenland , P., LaBree, L., Azen, S.P., Doherty, T.M., & Detrano, R.C. (2004). Coronary Artery Calcium Score Combined With Framingham Score for Risk Prediction in Asymptomatic Individuals. JAMA, 291, 210 – 215.
03/02	Continue with class presentations; research methods and psychological influences upon behavior Distinguish descriptive and inferential statistics Define mean median, mode, etc.; as characteristics of populations and groups Define sampling distribution, null hypothesis Review st atistical significance in relation to differences between the groups Describe b etween-groups variance, systematic variance, error variance & e ffect size Summarize the effectiveness of attitudinal approaches and the use of fear appeals in changing attitudes and health behaviors Describe the components of the health belief model and explain how it may be useful in predicting and changing health behaviors Describe the components of the Theory of Planned Behavior and evaluate its usefulness in predicting health behaviors Define self-efficacy and explain the relationship between self-efficacy, outcome expectations and health behaviors Define self-observation and self-monitoring and describe their use in cognitive-behavioral interventions Define Stages of Change Model and its use in behavioral interventions Describe the use of social engineering in changing health behaviors. Describe the use of various venues for changing health behaviors, and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of each.	Taylor (5th Edition) – Review Chapters 1-7 Cozby (8th Edition) - Chapters 8, 9   Cauce, A.M., Paradise, M., Domenech-Rodriguez, M., Cochran, B.N., Shea, J.M., Srebnik, D. & Baydar, N. (2002). Cultural and Contextual Influences in Mental Health Help Seeking: A Focus on Ethnic Minority Youth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 44-55. Homework #2 - Due at the beginning of Class, Wednesday, March 9, 2005
03/09	Continue with class presentations; addictions and relapse as issues of concern for many aspects of health Review of confounding and internal validity Describe group selection methods in behavioral research Describe the six characteristics of health-compromising behaviors. Define obesity and describe its relationship to various negative health outcomes Explain the nature of addiction and define alcoholism other drug dependence, and describe the prevalence and costs of alcohol abuse in the United States, including the prevalence of drunken driving Describe the prevalence and costs of smoking in the United States, including the synergistic effects of smoking, and social trends in smoking in the U.S. Describe the goals and nature of treatment programs for alcoholism, drug dependence, smoking and obesity Describe the problem of relapse, and explain the abstinence violation effect and its relationship to relapse. Explain why addiction is so difficult to change, the relationship between smoking and weight gain, and the nature of withdrawal Summarize the factors associated with favorable treatment outcomes and the effectiveness of treatment programs Summarize the effectiveness of preventive approaches to alcoholism, drug dependence, smoking and obesity Describe the use of social engineering strategies in smoking cessation and evaluate their effectiveness Explain and distinguish qualitative and quantitative approaches to studying behavior and behavior change	Mid-Term Exam No new reading assignments
03/16	Spring Break	No Class

 

03/23	Continue with class presentations; continue with experimental design, descriptive and observational methods; survey research Describe the methods and applications of naturalistic observation, case studies and archival research Describe the use of surveys to study behavior and attitudes in the health care fields Explain survey construction methods Summarize sampling methods for survey research Describe Cannon’s fight-or-flight response, Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome, and Taylor & Klein’s Tend-and-Befriend theory Compare and contrast primary and secondary appraisal and their roles in the experience of stress. Describe the dimensions of stressful events, the physiological response to stress and assessments of stress Explain the process of habituation to stress and responses to ongoing stressors, and the impact of the anticipation and aftereffects of stress Describe the nature of stressful life events and their relationship to stress, as well the relationship of daily hassles and chronic strain to physical and psychological health Describe the sources of chronic stress and their impact on health Explain the relationship of multiple roles to stress, and identify gender differences in work and family roles and the experience of stress	Taylor (5 th Edition) – Chapters 8 & 9 Cozby (8 th Edition) - Chapter 9 & 10   Chassin, L., Pitts, S.C. & Prost, J. (2002). Binge Drinking Trajectories From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood in a High-Risk Sample: Predictors and Substance Abuse Outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 67 – 78. Homework #3 - Due at the beginning of Class, Wednesday, April 6, 2005
03/30	Continue with class presentations; continue with experimental design, coping with stress Explain independent group and repeated measures design Describe how stress may exert a direct effect on illness, interact with preexisting vulnerabilities, and adversely affect health habits. Define the coping process, negativity and the pessimistic explanatory style, hardiness and optimism and explain their relationship to stress and illness. Compare and contrast different coping strategies and explain their relationship to stress and illness. Explain the relationship of disclosure to coping with stress and illness. Describe the relationship of psychological control and other personality variables (e.g., self-esteem and conscientiousness) to stress and illness. Describe the role of external resources and define social support in coping and the relationship of each to stress and illness. Explain the biopsychosocial pathways by which social support influences health and illness. Describe the factors affecting the provision of effective social support and explain how stress is moderated by social support. Compare and contrast the direct effects and buffering hypotheses. Define stress management and describe the basic techniques of stress management programs.	Taylor (5 th Edition) - Chapter 10 Cozby (7th Edition) - Chapter 11 Narayan, K.M.V., Boyle, J.P., Thompson, T.J., Sorensen, S.W. & Williamson, D.F. (2003). Lifetime Risk for Diabetes Mellitus in the United States.JAMA, 290, 1884 – 1890.
04/06	Continue with class presentations; practical applications of behavior change principles to achieve improved health care outcomes; Discuss the processes of analyzing and interpreting results of behavioral studies Describe the use of multi-factorial designs Define and discuss program evaluation in behavioral intervention research Describe the social and psychological factors that influence the recognition and interpretation of symptoms. Describe the demographic and sociocultural factors that predict the use of health services. Describe the nature and effectiveness of control-enhancing interventions in helping patients cope with surgery and stressful medical procedures. Describe reactions to hospitalization commonly observed in young children and the effectiveness of control-enhancing interventions designed to help children cope with hospitalization and stressful medical procedures. Describe patient and providers’ behaviors that contribute to faulty patient-provider communication. Describe factors inherent in the health care delivery system and specific medical settings that influence the quality of patient-provider communication Describe the nature and effectiveness of interventions designed to teach providers how to communicate effectively with patients Describe the prevalence, assessment and causes of nonadherence to treatment regimens Describe the nature and effectiveness of strategies for improving patient adherence to treatment regimens. Trace the use of placebos from the early days of medicine to the present day, and describe the nature of the placebo effect and its role in medical treatment.	Taylor (5 th Edition) - Chapter 11 Cozby (7th Edition) - Chapter 10,11 Narayan, K.M.V., Boyle, J.P., Thompson, T.J., Sorensen, S.W. & Williamson, D.F. (2003). Lifetime Risk for Diabetes Mellitus in the United States. JAMA, 290, 1884 – 1890.
04/13	Continued class presentations; continued review of behavioral research designs, pain, chronic illness Define quasi-experimental designs and single case designs Explain the medical and psychological significance of, and the role of social context in the experience of pain. Compare and contrast acute and chronic pain. Define the different kinds of chronic pain (i.e., chronic benign pain, recurrent acute pain, and chronic progressive pain). Describe the relationship between individual differences in personality and experience of chronic and acute pain. Describe pharmacological and surgical techniques to control pain and their effectiveness. Describe the use of relaxation techniques, biofeedback, hypnosis, and acupuncture to control pain Describe the use of coping techniques, including guided imagery to control pain and their effectiveness Describe the prevalence of and the emotional responses to chronic illness in the United States Explain the role of denial, anxiety, and depression in coping with chronic illness, and explain whether these emotional reactions occur in stages Explain the psychological issues affecting the different aspects of the self (i.e., physical, achieving, social, and private self) associated with chronic illness Explain the role of patients’ beliefs about the nature, cause, and controllability of their illness in their adjustment to chronic illness and the relationship of coping strategies to outcomes in chronic illness Describe the use and effectiveness of pharmacological interventions and patient education interventions in helping patients coping with chronic illness. Describe the use and effectiveness of relaxation, exercise and brief psychotherapeutic interventions in helping patients coping with chronic illness. Describe the use and effectiveness of social support interventions in helping patients coping with chronic illness.	Taylor (5 th Edition) - Chapter 12 Cozby (7th Edition) - Chapter 12 Kenford, S.L., Wetter, D.W., Smith, S.S., Baker, T.B., Jorenby, D. E. & Fiore, M. C. (2002). Predicting Relapse Back to Smoking: Contrasting Affective and Physical Models of Dependence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 216 – 227.
04/20	Final class presentations, CHD, diabetes Describe statistical significance and strengths of relationships between variables Describe the use of multiple regression and multiple correlation models Describe the prevalence of CHD in the United States. Describe the nature of CHD and outline the risk factors, including stress, that are implicated in its development. Summarize the research investigating the relationship between negative emotions and CHD. Describe the issues surrounding the implementation of lifestyle changes and social support following MI, and the techniques used to modify CHD risk-related behavior and evaluate their effectiveness Describe the nature and prevalence of hypertension in the United States and the relationship between stress and hypertension Summarize the results of research investigating the relationship between personality factors and hypertension Describe the nature and prevalence, as well as the physical, psychological, social, and emotional consequences of stroke in the United States Describe the nature and prevalence of diabetes in the United States, differentiating Type I and Type II diabetes. Describe the causes and implications of diabetes, especially the problems of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Describe the problems in self-management of diabetes. Discuss the problems in adherence to treatment regimens and the factors that predict adherence. Describe behaviorally oriented interventions with diabetics and evaluate their effectiveness.	Taylor (5 th Edition) - Chapter 13 Cozby (7th Edition) - Chapter 13

04/27	Final review of principles of behavior change; AIDS & HIV, cancer Describe the nature and function of the immune system. Identify and describe the primary organs of the immune system. Summarize the results of studies relating stress and negative affect to immune functioning. Summarize the results of studies relating interpersonal relationships, stress, and immune functioning   Explain how coping and coping resources moderate the stress–immune functioning relationship. Describe the demographic risk groups for AIDS and the routes of HIV transmission. Describe the nature of interventions designed to reduce risk behaviors for AIDS and evaluate their effectiveness. Summarize the results of studies of psychological adjustment and coping with HIV infection and AIDS. Describe the factors that promote long-term survival among people who are HIV+ and explain how psychosocial factors may affect the course of AIDS. Testing and counseling about HIV infection and risky behaviors Describe the nature of cancer and the demographic risk groups for cancer. Summarize the results of studies of the relationship between stress and cancer. Describe the physical and psychological problems associated with cancer and the role of coping strategies in dealing with these problems. Describe the nature of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis & gout. Describe the different treatment interventions for rheumatoid arthritis and evaluate their effectiveness.	Taylor (5 th Edition) - Chapter 14 Cozby (7th Edition) - Chapter 14
05/04	Last day of class; rescheduled presentations, review of key principles, instructions regarding exam.	Exams distributed; Exams due on Monday, May 9th
05/11	No class – exam week	Exams due on Monday, May 9th

 

Programs | Current Students  | Prospective Students  |  Alumni  |  Faculty