Introduction to Intervention Development and Theory

This course will provide an overview of  intervention development through social and behavioral science theories. Students will use intervention development processes incorporating informatics and data science to address problems of clinical or public health significance. This will include understanding how a needs assessment (involving community and practice-based partners) identifies both a health problem and the social, behavioral and ecological factors that contribute to it. Students will learn how to define the targets for change with at-risk groups, and create change matrices (blueprints) for interventions, including performance objectives. Students will identify theory-informed methods and practical applications for those methods, including the delivery characteristics and modes (i.e., online, in-person) for intervention delivery that consider culturally relevant program materials. Students will learn logic models for program evaluation and understand the value of considering intervention sustainability at each stage of program development. Students will work in a group, apply the intervention development process to develop a hypothetical intervention case.