Health Promotion and Behavior

The Department of Health Promotion and Behavior provides students with in-depth knowledge and skills related to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of theory-based health promotion programs for various client populations in community, school, work site, and clinical settings. At all levels (bachelor's, master's, and doctoral), the programs are designed to prepare professionals who possess both process-related skills in health promotion programming and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the determinants of health behavior. Health promotion efforts are directed at influencing or facilitating health-related behavior, advocating healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action,developing personal skills, and reorienting health services. A fundamental assumption of the department's teaching, research, and service missions is that effective health promotion interventions are derived from a comprehensive understanding of health-related behaviors at the individual, community and societal levels.