HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 317 -- Fall 2012 -- 4 Credits
T, Th, & F2 9:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
Instructor
Dr. Bob Swoap
Office: 103 Jensen
email: bswoap@warren-wilson.edu
Phone: 771-3706
homepage: www.warren-wilson.edu/~bswoap (where you will find the online syllabus)
Office Hours: M W F1: 09:30 – 11:00
T Th F2: 10:50 – 11:30
Other times available by appointment
Readings
Most of our readings will come from primary sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles) and from
newspaper/magazine/web articles. These readings will be available online. Some hyperlinks are on the
online version of this syllabus. Those that do not have a hyperlink will be accessible using the search
engines that are on our library’s web page.
The quality of our class discussions depends on your having read the assigned material. Please read the
assignments on the class schedule prior to the assigned date. With good planning and diligence,
you will be able to keep up with it all.
Course description
This course investigates psychological factors in health and disease. We will use multiple models,
techniques, and perspectives to understand influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill,
and how they respond when they get ill.
o The instructor will draw from research and clinical experience to illustrate the use of psychology
in wellness, illness prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
o We will use readings, speakers, and activities to explore how the areas of health, illness, and
medicine can be studied from a psychological and cultural perspective.
o Many of our readings come from primary sources in health psychology. In reading these, you
will become more familiar with the types of research in this field. We will discuss how to judge
the scientific quality of research on psychology and wellness.
o Health psychology has many direct applications to daily life and it is hoped that you will gain a
personal understanding of how behavioral, emotional, and lifestyle patterns affect your health
and wellness.
How to be successful in this course
I. Readings. I want you to actively work with course material as opposed to memorizing information to
pass exams. Thus, I have little inclination to give formal exams. I do, however, employ evaluations of
your knowledge of readings or require brief position papers in which you summarize and react to
readings for a particular class period or topic. These evaluations will provide feedback to you as to
whether you are mastering the information or need more time/effort/instruction to do so.
II. Participation. The quality of our classes depends both on your reading and on your active
participation in class. You will want to be at all of the class meetings, unless you have an unforeseeable
emergency/illness or have cleared it with me ahead of time. Positive class participation involves
arriving on time, being prepared for discussions, and being willing to share your thoughts about the
material for the day. Please do not bring food to the classroom. Also, please silence your cell phone
and/or other electronic devices before class begins. Texting activity (receiving, reading, sending),
Tweeting, Facebook updates and the like are all unacceptable during class.
Four times each term (on the Fridays), we will be doing applied health psychology. These may take the
form of a hands-on activity on campus, an off-campus service project (e.g., Jingle Bell Run/Walk for
Arthritis), a health care practitioner who will conduct demos with us, visitors to our classroom who will
talk about their health issues and their coping strategies, or field trips to a health care site.
III. Health Behavior Change Project -- HBCP. We all have health-related behaviors that we would
like to do more of, and some that we want to do less of. This assignment will allow you to take what you
learn in this class and make a direct change in your life. You will write a Plan and a Final Report that
document your procedure and success with changing a health behavior over eight weeks. The behavior
you choose (e.g., exercise, nutrition, smoking, drinking, stress, etc.) will need to be approved by your
instructor before you begin the project. All due dates for this project and its components are below in the
class schedule. More detailed information is at the end of the syllabus.
Materials needed for class
 Access to the internet and a printer to print the online readings. This should be done several
classes in advance, so that you have time to deal with printer/computer/access problems.

Two notebooks:

a) One for taking notes on the readings and in-class discussions.
b) One for use as a journal for the Behavior Change Project
An email address that you check regularly. I often send readings and reminders via
email. Please look for these often.
If you need course accommodations because of a disability, you must let me know and contact Deb
Braden asap.
Course Plan for Health Psychology
Please refer to this syllabus well before each class period.
Note about finding the readings: Empirically-based readings are available using the library’s databases
(e.g., PsycARTICLES, Annual Reviews). (These readings have no hyperlink on the online syllabus.)
Other readings have a hyperlink. Thus, you’ll need access to the internet when preparing for class.
Please print the article at least several class sessions ahead
Topics, Readings, and Assignments
T 8/28
Introduction to the class. Discuss goals, strategies, readings, assignments, etc.
TH 8/30
Read: 1) Wikipedia entry on Health Psychology (for an introduction to the field)
2) How the mind hurts and heals the body (Oakley, 2004). PsycARTICLES
T 9/4
Read: How to overcome health-compromising behaviors: The health action process
approach (Schwarzer & Luszczynska, 2008). PsycARTICLES
TH 9/6
Health Behavior Change Project (HBCP). Turn in a one-paragraph proposal for your
HBCP (due at the beginning of class today). (This proposal will be examined by me, and
you will be given approval – or not – to work towards the HBCP plan due next week.
F 9/7
Fantastic Friday (TBA)
T 9/11
Read: Ch. 1 – Three surprises about change – from the book Switch (on Reserves)
TH 9/13
HBCP plan due (guidelines at end of syllabus)
T 9/18
Exercise. Read: The behavioral determinants of exercise: Implications for
Physical activity interventions (Sherwood & Jeffery, 2000). Annual Reviews.
Alzheimer’s Disease
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/alzheimers-disease/overview.html?8qa
Read The Long Goodbye by Joe Klein
http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~bswoap/Health%20Psych/Health%20Psych%20Powerpoint.html
TH 9/20
F 9/21
Fantastic Friday (no class). Instead, we will do a service project tomorrow.
S 9/22
The Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s™ is the nation’s largest event
to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. We will
meet at 7:30 a.m. to go downtown and serve as volunteers.
M 9/24
Week 1 of HBCP (Begin intervention by monitoring your health behavior.)
T 9/25
Nutrition
Read: Unhappy Meals by Michael Pollan, NYTimes article -- January 28, 2007
Th 9/27
Obesity. Read: 1st few chapters of The Weight of the Nation
http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~bswoap/Health%20Psych/Health%20Psych%20Powerpoint.html
T 10/2
Read: A crisis in the marketplace: How food marketing contributes to childhood obesity
and what can be done. (Harris et al., 2009). Annual Reviews.
And Why making healthful food cheaper isn’t enough (You can listen to this story too.)
Th 10/4
Read: Diabetes and its awful toll quietly emerge as a crisis by N. Kleinfield (NYTimes
article, Jan 9, 2006). Watch in class: Diabetes (Bad Sugar, Episode 4 of Unnatural
Causes DVD).
F 10/5
Fantastic Friday (Watch HBO’s “Weight of the Nation”)
M 10/8
Week 3 of HBCP (still monitoring? Trying new interventions?)
T 10/9
Stress and Coping
Read: Stress and health: Psychological, behavioral, and biological determinants.
(Schneiderman et al., 2005). Annual Reviews.
Th 10/11
Read: Coping resources, coping processes, and mental health. (Taylor & Stanton,
2007). Annual Reviews.
T 10/16
Week 4 of HBCP (give a one-page summary report to your partner today)
Th 10/18
Stroke. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/stroke/overview.html?8qa
On this comprehensive guide from the NYTimes, you can read about causes, symptoms,
treatment, etc. You can also listen to “Patient Voices” and see brain animation of a
stroke. (In class, we will start watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
F 10/19
Fantastic Friday (finish watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.)
Fall Break
Week 5 of your HBCP (continue monitoring and intervening during this week)
M 10/29
Week 6 of HBCP (Be sure to continue focusing on this project. If you fell behind
during fall break, resume effective strategies and/or try new ones.)
T 10/30
Social aspects of health and illness
Watch in class: In Sickness and in Wealth (56 minutes)
Th 11/1
Read: Socioeconomic disparities in health behaviors. (Pampel et al., 2010). Annual
Reviews.
T 11/6
Read: Health disparities through a psychological lens. (Adler, 2009). PsycARTICLES.
Watch in class: When the bough breaks (29 minutes)
Th 11/8
F 11/9
Fantastic Friday (Dr. Ann Bullock, Division of Diabetes Treatment and
M 11/12
Week 8 of HBCP (This is the last week of the intervention. Please keep working on
your health behavior and recording through the end of this week.)
T 11/13
Sleep. Read http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-schwartz/sleep_b_832353.html
Th 11/15
Open topic day – you choose…
T 11/20
Independent work: HBCP-- begin working on final paper.
Prevention, Indian Health Service)
Th/F 11/22-23 no class (Thanksgiving Break)
T 11/27
Heart disease. Read: Psychosocial and biobehavioral factors and their interplay in
coronary heart disease. (Williams, 2008) Annual Reviews.
Th 11/29
Arthritis. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/arthritis/overview.html?8qa
S 12/1
Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis
T 12/4
AIDS. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/aids/overview.html?8qa
Th 12/6
Read: Older couples’ management of multiple-chronic illnesses: Individual and
shared perceptions and coping in Type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis. (Yorgason
et al., 2010). PsycARTICLES
F 12/7
Fantastic Friday (class was held last Saturday for Jingle Bell Run/Walk)
No class but your HBCP paper is due no later than noon to my office J-103.
T 12/11
Putting it all together:
Read: Health psychology: Developing biologically plausible models linking the social
world and physical health. (Miller et al., 2009). Annual Reviews.
This is a complex article, with extensive biological and scientific jargon. Please take
your time reading this and space it over multiple reading sessions.
Th 12/13
T 12/18
Student conferences
Student conferences
W 12/19
Student conferences
Health Behavior Change Project
HBCP PLAN
Your task is to pick a specific health behavior that you wish to change and set up a plan for changing it.
In a 3-4 page double-spaced paper, clearly address each of the following with roman numerals and
headings for each.
I. Goal Setting
A.
State the specific behavior you wish to change (well defined). Pick only one behavior,
not a set of behaviors.
B.
State the goals of behavior change in the short run (over eight weeks) and in the long run
(for the next year or more). It would be wise to have a modest goal for the short term,
but a more ambitious goal to work toward over time.
II. Knowing the Context and Devising Steps
A.
Do you know the context in which this behavior now occurs? Under what conditions are
you most likely to engage in the behavior you wish to change? What situational factors
tend to increase or decrease the behavior? If you know these things, explain them. If
not, you’ll need more info. Either way, it would be useful to monitor yourself for a week
and keep a log of the behavior frequency and circumstances in which it appears State
this as a step. Results of monitoring will improve your plan of behavior change.
B.
Break the goal down into small steps that are more easily attainable. For example, to
meditate for 5 minutes 3 times a week might be a good start toward meditating for a half
hour 5 out of 7 days a week. In between would be a gradual progression of small steps
toward the goal.
III. Strategies
What techniques & strategies do you plan to use to increase the likelihood of behavior change?
This is a plan of specific ways to combat your normal behavior tendencies, and to initiate new
ones. There are many strategies that may be helpful (e.g., having a partner in this project). We
will go over a number of strategies in class.
IV. Keeping Track of Progress
A.
What kind of record keeping system (a log or chart) will you use to keep track of your
progress? Keep your records to hand in later.
B.
Complete your log daily. Relying on your memory to keep of your progress will
decrease accuracy. What strategies will you employ to keep your log daily?
Remember: What you write up for this assignment is your contract. You should start the project on
Monday 9/24 (Week 1 of the project), after you have received feedback from me about your PLAN.
Save the plan with my comments. You’ll need it for the final paper.
I know you can do this and make substantial progress; many students before you have. Put your heart
and soul and mind into it! Work hard and have fun. The key is to keep up with it daily, especially
recording your behaviors!
Health Behavior Change Project – Final Report
Overview: For the paper, you will need to assess, evaluate, and describe the effectiveness of the
intervention in changing your target behavior. It is not so important whether you were successful, but
rather that you can demonstrate why or why not, using explanations based on your readings and class
discussions about health behavior change.
For your final paper, please answer the prompts as they are numbered here, retyping the question (typed
below in bold) before answering it.
1. What was your target behavior? This should be specified clearly, in as much detail as
necessary. You should discuss why you were motivated to pick this specific target behavior.
Example: “Mr. Lewis wanted to exercise more frequently and more consistently. He had
noticed that his energy levels were low and that he felt like he was getting out of shape. He
intended to exercise aerobically for 30 minutes at least 3x / week. He elected to swim, jog, and
do aerobics. He also wanted to build strength by weight-lifting 2x / week.”
2. Did you revise your short-term (this semester) goal in any way? If so, why and how? (Be
brief and clear.) One paragraph should be plenty.
3. Describe the progress you made toward your goal (original or revised). Exactly what was
accomplished and how do you know? (Again, be clear and stick to the question.) A couple of
paragraphs should suffice. Be sure to mention your monitoring results. A graph of your progress
would be helpful here (placed in an appendix). Also, you should attach a 1-2 page sample or
summary of your monitoring sheets (no more than 2 pages please).
4. Why were you able to be successful and/or not able to be more successful? This is the main
focus for the paper. Analyze your behavior change project using course material (3-4 pages for
this). Use concepts from your research, the readings and/or class lectures to apply theory and
research to your problem. For example, you might indicate what stage you were in when you
started the project using the Transtheoretical Model, and possibly describe what stage you are in
now and why. If you used specific approaches described in readings and/or in class, point this
out explicitly. Explain how you used them and indicate whether they worked. If you didn’t use
approaches derived from this course, explain how you could have and how it might have
improved your project. Tie in the material very carefully and concretely to your project.
5. Will you continue this project? In 1-2 paragraphs, briefly describe how you will continue, with
a focus on strategies to maintain progress and/or prevent relapse. If you don’t plan to continue,
explain your reasons.
6. What did you learn? In a page, describe your key learnings and what you got out of the project.
REMEMBER: Final papers are due December 7 by noon.
o Attach your original behavior change project PLAN with my comments (which was returned to
you in September).
o Attach a 1-2 page sample or summary of your monitoring results
o Plan your analysis and writing of this paper carefully
o Double-space, 12-point font, one-inch margins, no typos, no cover page needed.
o Citations of sources should be in APA format (both within the paper, and in a references
section).