SMGT40480 Behaviour Change Principles

Academic Year 2024/2025

Globally, there is an increasing trend in the prevalence of cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic disease which places a considerable burden on healthcare systems. Engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviours such as regular physical activity or a balanced diet can help to reduce the risk of developing these chronic non-communicable diseases. However, most adults are insufficiently active and the rates of obesity are rising across countries. Thus, understanding how to support people to successfully change their behaviour is becoming increasingly important for healthcare professionals in dealing with this key public health challenge.

The Advancing Healthcare: Behaviour Change Principles for Healthy Living micro credential has been developed to provide healthcare professionals with an understanding of how to apply the science of behaviour change to facilitate individuals to initiate and sustain healthy lifestyle behaviours. This micro credential will enable learners to recognise the factors that influence behaviour, and how they can use behaviour change theories and techniques to develop interventions focused at the individual and group levels. The learner will also develop knowledge of the communication skills needed to support client behaviour change.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this module, you should:

Appraise the evidence for health-related behaviour change approaches for individuals and groups
Describe the psychosocial and environmental factors that influence health behaviour
Identify and apply appropriate behaviour change techniques for healthy lifestyle behaviours
Demonstrate knowledge of the communication skills required to support health-related behaviour change
Understand how to implement appropriate behaviour change support for a particular healthy lifestyle behaviour

Indicative Module Content:

• An introduction to theories of behaviour change
• Understanding the factors that influence behaviour (change)
• Defining a behavioural problem in terms of what needs to change
• Selecting behaviour change techniques for an individual or group level intervention
• Understanding the role of communication skills to support behaviour change
• Common pitfalls in supporting behaviour change

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

60
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Reflective learning
Self-directed learning
Task / Activity related learning
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade

Not yet recorded.

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Ms Fiona Curran Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Pratiksha Nagar Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Dererca Ní Chianáin Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Miss Annelie Shaw Lecturer / Co-Lecturer