HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY - 2022/3

Module Overview

This module introduces students to the key theories and methods of health psychology and focuses on a number of research areas including health behaviour and behaviour change, help seeking and access to health care and chronic conditions and their management.

Module provider

Psychology

Module Leader

OGDEN Jane (Psychology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Module content

The course will be based around such topics as: theories and models in health psychology, the role of health beliefs in understanding health behaviour, changing health behaviour, help seeking, the role of psychology in understanding and managing chronic conditions such as cancer, coronary heart disease, obesity, HIV, and pain.

The lecture plan will probably be as follows:

1.Introduction to health psychology

2.Eating behaviour

3. Obesity

4. Behaviour change

5. Help seeking

6. Stress and coping

7. Women’s health

8. Pain

9. CHD

10. Sexual health, HIV and AIDs

11. Course overview

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The summative assessment consists of one seen exam worth 100%

This consists of:

A leaflet (50%), (1000 words) which should be designed for a lay audience to change a health related behaviour or manage a health condition

A commentary (50%), (2000 words) describing the theories and evidence underpinning the leaflet.

Justification for assessment methods

This will assess the learning outcomes in terms of theories, research evidence and application. 

Module aims

• The course aims to develop a critical understanding of the theories, methods, and applications underpinning health psychology. It aims to demonstrate how a scientific understanding of behaviour can be applied to understanding and changing health behaviours and outcomes in physical illness It aims to illustrate how psychological factors influence the experience of health and illness and can impact upon health outcomes.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching methods include:

11 x 2 hour lectures, 2 x 1 hour optional drop in sessions and 128 hours of independent study, which involve:

Week 1 -  Lecture setting the scene for health psychology and an introduction to key theories. 

Weeks 2-10  – Lectures presenting information regarding different aspects of health psychology (eg, eating behaviour, obesity, help seeking, pain, CHD, HIV etc) with theories and evidence. 

Week 11 – A overview session to consider key theories and evidence and prepare for the assessment. 

Weeks 3-11: The weekly online sessions will consider theories and evidence and how they can be applied to health behaviours and conditions.  This will build towards the assessment.

Formative feedback will be given each week through the online sessions.

Student will also be given formative feedback on their chosen area for the leaflet and the focus for theories and research.

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PSY3073

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2022/3 academic year.