Improving health behaviour in mental and chronic illness
Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
This course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD Students from NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. This also applies to PhD students from NorDoc member faculties. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.
Learning objectives
A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:
1. Describe and compare various theoretical concepts and methodological approaches to health behaviour change and health promotion in people with mental and/or chronic illness(es).
2. Discuss the usefulness of various concepts and approaches in relation to own research question and hypotheses regarding change mechanisms.
3. Identify relevant outcomes and appropriate design in own study related to health behaviour change/adoption.
Content
The course introduces classic (social) cognitive-based and sociologically inspired theories and concepts related to the modification and maintenance of health behaviour concerning the management of mental and/or chronic illnesses. Through lectures and collaborative discussions based on students' own projects, the course will provide insights into why and how health behaviour (in the context of mental and/or chronic illness) is significantly influenced by individual factors, such as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, as well as social determinants like family dynamics, peer influence, and cultural norms, and environmental factors, such as access to healthcare services and community resources. The lectures will also present strategies and techniques for behaviour change and the study thereof, including the importance of thoroughly considering potential intervention components and outcomes and the relationship between these (change mechanisms).
Participants
Participants are PhD students and other postgraduate researchers conducting studies in relation to health behaviour change in mental and/or chronic illness.
Relevance to graduate programmes
The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH:
All graduate programmes
Language
Danish or English (if required by non-Danish participants).
Form
Each day of the course we will alternate between lectures and workshops. Some lectures may involve exercises and/or group work.
Course director
Julie Midtgaard
Clinical professor
Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health Care (CARMEN)
Mental Health Centre Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH
Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Faculty teachers
Julie Midtgaard
Clinical professor
Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health Care (CARMEN)
Mental Health Centre Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH
Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Mette Aadahl
Clinical professor
Centre for Clinical Research and Prevention, Section for Health Promotion and Prevention
Frederiksberg Hospital
Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dates
March 18-19 & 27-28, 2025
Course location
Panum, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
See course program for the exact room location per day.
Registration
Please register before February 18, 2025
Expected frequency
The course is expected to be offered once annually.
Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules. Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrolment.
Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.