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NSC301Health Sciences2 Unitsintermediate

Human Behaviour In Health And Illness

This course explores human behavior within the contexts of health and illness. It examines concepts such as health behavior, illness behavior, and the sick role. The course also investigates the mind-body relationship, acute versus chronic illnesses, and the influence of culture and socio-demographic factors on health and illness. Additionally, it covers attitude change, health promotion, and strategies for addressing specific health behavior problems.

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208h

Study Time

13

Weeks

16h

Per Week

none

Math Level

Course Keywords

Health BehaviorIllness BehaviorSick RoleMind-Body RelationshipHealth Promotion

Course Overview

Everything you need to know about this course

Course Difficulty

Intermediate Level

Builds on foundational knowledge

65%

intermediate

📚

Math Level

No Math

📖

Learning Type

Theoretical Focus

Course Topics

Key areas covered in this course

1

Health Behavior

2

Illness Behavior

3

Sick Role

4

Mind-Body Relationship

5

Acute vs. Chronic Illness

6

Cultural Determinants of Health

7

Socio-Demographic Factors

8

Health Promotion

9

Attitude Change

10

Preventive Health

11

Doctor-Patient Interaction

12

Recovery and Rehabilitation

Total Topics12 topics

Ready to Start

No specific requirements needed

This course is designed to be accessible to all students. You can start immediately without any prior knowledge or specific preparation.

Assessment Methods

How your progress will be evaluated (3 methods)

Assignments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

Tutor-Marked Assignments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

Final Examination

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

Career Opportunities

Explore the career paths this course opens up for you

Health Educator

Apply your skills in this growing field

Public Health Officer

Apply your skills in this growing field

Healthcare Administrator

Apply your skills in this growing field

Social Worker

Apply your skills in this growing field

Counselor

Apply your skills in this growing field

Industry Applications

Real-world sectors where you can apply your knowledge

HealthcarePublic HealthSocial ServicesCommunity Health OrganizationsGovernment Agencies

Study Schedule Beta

A structured 13-week journey through the course content

Week

1

Module 1: Defining Concepts: Human Behaviour, Disease and Illness

6h

Unit 1: Behaviour: Basic Concepts

3 study hours

•Define 'behavior' and differentiate between stimulus and response.
•Understand innate, learned, and reflex behaviors with examples.
•Explore the features of human behavior: verbal, nonverbal, conscious, unconscious, overt, covert, voluntary, involuntary, normal, and abnormal.

Unit 2: Conceptualizing Health and Disease

3 study hours

•Summarize the WHO perspective on health, including physical, mental, and social well-being.
•Distinguish between holistic, positive, and negative concepts of health.
•Define 'disease' and differentiate it from 'syndrome'.
•Understand the transmission and social significance of disease.

Week

2

Module 1: Defining Concepts: Human Behaviour, Disease and Illness

4h

Unit 3: Conceptualizing Illness

4 study hours

•Define 'illness' and explore its historical and contemporary conceptions.
•Differentiate between subjective sensation, disease symptoms, and disorder/malfunction perspectives of illness.
•Distinguish between 'disease' and 'illness' using Marinker's definitions.
•Understand the biological, psychological, and social components of illness dynamics.

Week

3

Module 2: Conceptualizing Health/Illness Dichotomies and Determinants

3h

Unit 1: Health and Illness and the Mind – Body Relationship

3 study hours

•Illustrate the historical perspective of illness and the mind-body relationship from ancient Greece to the modern era.
•Understand the humoral theory and its influence on personality and illness concepts.
•Explore the psychosomatic medicine movement and its link between internal conflicts and specific illnesses.

Week

4

Module 2: Conceptualizing Health/Illness Dichotomies and Determinants

4h

Unit 2: Acute Illness versus Chronic Illness

4 study hours

•Define acute and chronic illnesses, providing examples of each.
•Distinguish between acute and chronic illnesses based on duration, impact, and dependence on healthcare services.
•Understand the influence of chronic illness on hospitalization and healthcare costs.

Week

5

Module 2: Conceptualizing Health/Illness Dichotomies and Determinants

4h

Unit 3: Culture and Socio-Demographic Determinants of Health and Illness

4 study hours

•Illustrate cultural factors influencing health and illness behavior, including mystical interpretations and cultural differences in symptom reporting.
•Identify socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, living conditions, and socioeconomic status and their influence on health and illness behavior.

Week

6

Module 3: Conceptualizing Health Behaviour and Models

4h

Unit 1: What is Health Behaviour?

4 study hours

•Define health behavior and differentiate it from illness behavior.
•Understand the dimensions of health behavior: physical functioning, mental health, social well-being, role functioning, general health perception, and symptoms.
•Explain the complexities of health behavior, including the weak relationship between different health habits.

Week

7

Module 3: Conceptualizing Health Behaviour and Models

4h

Unit 2: Changing Patterns of Health and Illness

4 study hours

•Analyze the changing patterns of illness and disease metamorphosis, including the shift from acute to chronic diseases.
•Discuss the influence of lifestyle and environmental factors on health and illness.
•Identify the role of technological advancements and health research in disease detection and prevention.

Week

8

Module 3: Conceptualizing Health Behaviour and Models

4h

Unit 3: Theoretical Approaches to Health and Illness Behaviour

4 study hours

•Describe the Expectancy-Value Model and its three main approaches: Social Learning Theory, Fishbein's Theory of Reasoned Action, and the Health Belief Model.
•Discuss the role of the Attribution Model of health and illness perception.
•Determine the influence of the Health Perception Model on illness and health-seeking behaviors.

Week

9

Module 4: Attitude Change and Specific Health Behaviour Problems

4h

Unit 1: Preventive Health Behaviour

4 study hours

•Describe preventive health behavior and its determinants, including socio-cultural and environmental aspects.
•Illustrate the major trends in preventive health behaviors, such as seat belt use, smoking, and dietary habits.

Week

10

Module 4: Attitude Change and Specific Health Behaviour Problems

4h

Unit 2: Attitude Change and Health Promotion

4 study hours

•Identify and discuss the principles used to promote attitude change and positive health behavior, including information appeals, persuasion, fear appeals, mass media appeals, and self-help groups.
•Discuss the goals of health promotion in schools, workplaces, and communities.

Week

11

Module 4: Attitude Change and Specific Health Behaviour Problems

4h

Unit 3: Addressing Specific Health Behaviour Problems

4 study hours

•Describe alcohol abuse and its health implications, including direct and indirect effects.
•Identify causes of alcohol abuse, including the disease model and the social learning model.
•Describe obesity and its causes, including overeating, genetic factors, and lifestyle.

Week

12

Module 5: Conceptualizing Illness Behaviour

4h

Unit 1: Defining Illness Behaviour

4 study hours

•Define illness behavior and differentiate it from health behavior.
•Identify variations of illness behavior based on ethnicity, education, family structure, and social networks.
•Illustrate the stages of illness behavior: symptom experience, assumption of sick role, medical care contact, dependent patient role, and recovery/rehabilitation.

Week

13

Module 5: Conceptualizing Illness Behaviour

4h

Unit 2: Symptom Experience

4 study hours

•Define 'symptom' and its importance in the illness experience.
•Understand the process of symptom interrogation and history taking.
•Identify common symptoms and their potential underlying causes.

This study schedule is in beta and may not be accurate. Please use it as a guide and consult the course outline for the most accurate information.

Course PDF Material

Read the complete course material as provided by NOUN.

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Study Tips & Exam Preparation

Expert tips to help you succeed in this course

1

Create concept maps linking Modules 1-3 to understand foundational concepts.

2

Focus on definitions and distinctions between key terms (health, illness, disease).

3

Review case studies in Modules 4-6 to apply theoretical knowledge.

4

Practice essay questions on the influence of culture and socio-demographics.

5

Allocate time to understand the different models of doctor-patient interaction.

6

Review all Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs) and address areas of weakness.

7

Create flashcards for key definitions and theories.

8

Practice time management during mock exams.

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