Health Behavior Change Option

20 points


Goal: To design, carry out, and evaluate a project for changing a personal health behavior, for example, stop smoking, learn a relaxation method, alter diet, begin an exercise plan (Examples) following these five steps...
1. Project Declaration...you state what you want to do and the reasons for your choice
2. Research...you find three resources that tell you how to carry out your health behavior change
3. Project Plan...you develop and describe a plan for carrying out the activity portion of your project
4. Project Activity...you carry out the activity portion of your project for three weeks
5. Write-up...you evaluate your experience
Step 1: Project Declaration (2 points). Due February 3

Declare your choice of project and submit to the Instructor a report in which you state:
1. the reasons for your choice
2. what you hope to learn or achieve and why
3. any prior experiences that are similar.
4. the ways you will determine progress

 Step 2: Research (4 points). Due February 24

Consult books, magazines, the Internet, or personal advisors to determine way(s) to accomplish your goal(s). Here's a list of good resources. Find four current (no older than five years) resources. Use these criteria to evaluate each of the four resources. Submit to the instructor the name of each resource, its URL, evaluation score, and your overall evaluation of each.

Step 3: Project Plan (4 points). Due March 3

You must have a plan to do anything well. So, before you begin the activity portion of your project, make a plan and submit it to the Instructor. Describe specifically what you plan to do during the three weeks of the activity portion of your health behavior change project and the ways you will determine progress. For example, "I plan to walk 10,000 steps a day. I will determine progress by keeping a record of steps walked each day and any obstacles that get in the way of moving toward my goal."

 Step 4: START YOUR ACTIVITY ON APRIL 4

Begin your activity on April 4 and continue for three weeks to April 25. At the end of each week (April 11, April 18, and April 25, submit to the Instructor a progress report that describes your experience for the prior week including any problems you encounter.

Step 5: Project Write-up (4 points). Due May 1

Submit to the Instructor a written report in which you respond to each of the following items
1. summarize your project plan and the health principles it represented
2. describe the experience of trying to accomplish your goals
3. list at least two things about your topic that you learned
4. describe what doing the project helped you learn about yourself
5. describe what you learned about how to change a health behavior
6. state whether the project was worthwhile and why