Discussion 3

Course Description

Many factors influence the health behavior and wellness of individuals and populations. Understanding these factors helps healthcare professionals reduce health disparities and address healthcare access issues for vulnerable populations. Students in this course examine the cultural and behavioral factors and issues that influence the management and delivery of healthcare services. Students develop a framework for assessing the effect of culture and behavior in a variety of settings and situations. They identify health disparities attributable to diverse cultural and behavioral factors and discuss their implications for healthcare policy. Students also engage in application-based writing assignments to further examine the goals and objectives of addressing health disparities as well as obstacles for confronting vulnerable populations. (Prerequisite(s): COMM 1001, HLTH 2500.)

Course Objectives

As a result of successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Apply the Social Ecological Model to examine health issues

• Apply models and theories to a specific health condition/disease

• Evaluate national initiatives that address the problem of health disparities

• Analyze intervention programs or activities that address workforce disparities and healthcare access issues for vulnerable populations

• Analyze health interventions used to address health disparities locally, nationally, or globally

• Apply advocacy principles that could bring about positive social change to improve the health of individuals and populations