Technology and Health Behavior Change

Catalog description

Lifestyle behaviors like poor diet, low physical activity, drug/alcohol use, and poor medication use contribute to some of the top causes of morbidity and mortality globally, including heart disease, diabetes and many cancers. Changing these behaviors is difficult and requires substantial, long-term effort and commitment on the part of both patients and providers. This course is a survey of computing systems and technologies that are designed to help users make healthier choices. We will explore how and why these systems work, the theories behind them, and how to find/evaluate the evidence supporting them, using both popular industry products and more experimental programs as examples. Students interested in gaining hands-on experience with these technologies and learning more about the processes behind their features should take this course.