| Course | HLTH 8242 Changing Health Behavior: Theory and Practice |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 7 |
| Paper type | Activity map |
| Length | About 720 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | PhD in Public Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 8242 Week 7
Activity Map: Five Kit Program Contacts in the Order a Patient Meets Them, Each Paired With an Integrated Behavioral Model Construct and a Named Behavior Change Technique, and One Newsletter Cut Because Nothing Mapped to It
Student Name
Walden University
HLTH 8242: Changing Health Behavior: Theory and Practice
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Activity Map: Five Kit Program Contacts in the Order a Patient Meets Them, Each Paired With an Integrated Behavioral Model Construct and a Named Behavior Change Technique, and One Newsletter Cut Because Nothing Mapped to It
The Rule
Every contact in the Fallbrook clinic network's kit program must answer to a construct from the integrated behavioral model (Montano & Kasprzyk, 2015) and use at least one technique named in the behavior change technique taxonomy, so that what the contact does can be described in shared terms (Michie et al., 2013). A contact that cannot be mapped is cut, however harmless it seems.
The Map
Table 1
Program Contacts, Constructs and Techniques
| Order | Contact | Construct | Technique from the taxonomy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-notice letter one week before the kit | Salience | Prompts and cues | |
| 2 | Kit mailing with a picture guide and a link to a two-minute video | Knowledge and skill; experiential attitude | Instruction on how to perform the behavior; demonstration of the behavior | |
| 3 | Day 7 text reminder asking the patient to choose a day and place to do the test | Salience; intention-behavior gap | Prompts and cues; action planning | |
| 4 | Day 14 text with a descriptive norm line | Perceived norms | Social comparison | |
| 5 | Day 21 call from an outreach worker to non-returners | Skill; experiential attitude; salience | Problem solving; social support | |
Contacts are listed in the order a patient meets them; each later contact goes only to patients whose kits have not yet arrived at the laboratory.
Contact by Contact
The pre-notice letter tells patients that a kit is coming and why. Its job is salience: a patient who expects the kit is more likely to open it. It is a prompt in the taxonomy's terms.
The kit mailing carries two techniques. The picture guide and video instruct and demonstrate, which addresses the confusion about collection that the barrier analysis ranked second. The video also shows that the process is brief and private, which may soften the disgust some patients feel.
The day 7 text combines a prompt with action planning. It asks the patient to reply with a day and a place for the test. Action planning includes forming implementation intentions, if-then plans that link a behavior to a specific situation, which close the distance between meaning to act and acting.
The day 14 text adds a descriptive norm, telling patients that many clinic patients their age have already returned their kits. This uses social comparison, drawing attention to what others do.
The day 21 call reaches the patients most likely to need help. The outreach worker asks what is getting in the way, solves practical problems with the patient and offers encouragement, which the taxonomy describes as problem solving and social support.
The Descriptive Norm Line
Descriptive norm messages can backfire. Cialdini (2003) showed that messages emphasizing how many people engage in an undesirable behavior can increase that behavior, because they signal that it is common. A reminder saying that many patients have not returned their kits would tell non-returners they are in the majority. The line therefore states only the positive norm, and only if it is true: if fewer than half of patients typically return kits, the program will describe a smaller reference group, such as patients who received last year's reminder, or drop the line.
The Cut
The draft program included a quarterly general health newsletter sent to all patients, with a short article on colorectal cancer. When mapped, it answered to no construct the barrier analysis identified. It did not prompt the behavior at the moment of decision, did not teach collection and did not address norms. It might raise awareness in a general way, but the barrier analysis found awareness of colorectal cancer was already high among non-returners. Under the rule, the newsletter was cut from the kit program. The clinic may still send it for other purposes.
What the Map Leaves Uncovered
One barrier, skepticism that a stool test means anything when a person feels well, has no dedicated contact. The day 21 call can address it when a patient raises it. Adding a separate contact for a less common barrier would increase cost and the number of messages patients receive, so the map accepts the gap and the evaluation will measure how often the doubt is raised.
References
Cialdini, R. B. (2003). Crafting normative messages to protect the environment. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(4), 105-109. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.01242
Michie, S., Richardson, M., Johnston, M., Abraham, C., Francis, J., Hardeman, W., Eccles, M. P., Cane, J., & Wood, C. E. (2013). The behavior change technique taxonomy (v1) of 93 hierarchically clustered techniques: Building an international consensus for the reporting of behavior change interventions. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 46(1), 81-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9486-6
Montano, D. E., & Kasprzyk, D. (2015). Theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behavior, and the integrated behavioral model. In K. Glanz, B. K. Rimer, & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice (5th ed., pp. 95-124). Jossey-Bass.
What the HLTH 8242 Week 7 instructions ask for
In Week 7 students map each planned activity to a construct from their theory and to a specific behavior change technique. Faculty expect every activity to pass this test, and activities that do not should be removed or justified. The map should present activities in the order participants experience them. Risks associated with particular techniques, such as descriptive norm messages, should be addressed. The paper should note any barrier left without an activity. A table plus three to four pages of explanation is typical.
How the HLTH 8242 Week 7 example is put together
The rule section requires every contact to answer to a construct and a technique from Michie and colleagues' taxonomy. Table 1 lists five contacts with order, construct and technique. A contact-by-contact section explains what each does, from salience in the pre-notice letter to problem solving and social support in the outreach call. A section on the norm line cites Cialdini on how messages about common undesirable behavior can increase it, and sets a rule to state only a true positive norm or drop the line. The cut section explains why a quarterly newsletter mapped to no construct and was removed from the kit program. A final section names the uncovered barrier, skepticism about the test, and explains why no contact was added.
Reading the HLTH 8242 Week 7 rubric
Activity maps are graded on whether every activity earns its place. A map that assigns constructs loosely, or includes activities by habit, earns limited credit. The rubric rewards named techniques, constructs drawn from the barrier analysis and an order that matches the participant's experience. Faculty value attention to the risks of specific techniques and a reasoned decision to cut an activity that fails the test. Naming gaps honestly shows judgment. Faculty value maps in which each technique is specific enough to check in delivery, such as an if-then planning prompt rather than general encouragement. Contacts listed in the order participants meet them make the program's logic easier to follow.
HLTH 8242 Week 7 help: mistakes that cost marks
Activity maps often attach a construct to every activity after the fact, without asking whether the activity could move it. Others never cut anything, so weak activities stay in. Some use descriptive norms without checking whether the norm is favorable. To write a stronger map, set the admission rule first. For each activity, name the construct and the technique, using a taxonomy. Check techniques for known risks. Remove anything that maps to nothing. Name the barriers left uncovered. Use technique names an evaluator could check. List contacts in the order people meet them. If a technique has known risks, as descriptive norms do, write the condition under which you will use it. Say plainly which barriers remain without a contact. An activity map for your own program, built to the same rule, can be produced for you.
Get a HLTH 8242 Week 7 example written to your instructions
List the contacts or sessions on your draft schedule, the constructs from your chosen theory and your barrier findings, and add the Week 7 prompt and rubric. The HLTH 8242 map you receive links every contact with a construct and a named technique, cuts anything that maps to nothing and confirms every barrier is answered. Delivery is 24 to 48 hours, the first without charge.
More HLTH 8242 papers and PhD in Public Health samples
- HLTH 8242 Week 1: Target Behavior Orientation Post
- HLTH 8242 Week 2: Target Behavior Brief
- HLTH 8242 Week 3: Risk Message Discussion Post
- HLTH 8242 Week 4: Theory Selection Memo
- HLTH 8242 Week 5: Kit Return Barrier Analysis
- HLTH 8242 Week 6: Mechanism Logic Model
- HLTH 8242 Week 8: TIDieR Intervention Draft
- HLTH 8242 Week 9: Mediation Evaluation Plan
- HLTH 8242 Week 10: Incentive Design Peer Critique
- HLTH 8242 Week 11: Program Design Defense
- HLTH 8202E Week 7: Response Scale Review
HLTH 8242 Week 7 questions, answered
Does every activity need a named technique?
It strengthens the map, because a construct can be targeted in many ways and the technique says which. Implementation intentions, modeling and graded instructions are all specific enough to check. Where no named technique fits, describe the method concretely. What weakens a map is an activity that names a construct but gives no account of how it would move it.
Why cut an activity that seems harmless?
Because every contact costs staff time and patient attention, and an activity that targets no identified construct cannot be expected to change the behavior. Keeping it would also make evaluation harder, since its effect could not be predicted. The sample cuts the newsletter and notes it could return if a later analysis found a barrier it addresses.
Where can I find a free HLTH 8242 Week 7 sample paper?
The Week 7 activity map is printed in full on this page, pairing five kit program contacts with constructs and named techniques, explaining a cut newsletter and citing three references.
Why was the newsletter cut from the kit program?
Because it mapped to no construct the barrier analysis identified: it did not prompt the behavior at the moment of decision, teach collection or address norms, and awareness was already high among non-returners.
When can the descriptive norm line be used?
Only when it states a true positive norm; if fewer than half of patients typically return kits, the program uses a smaller reference group or drops the line, since messages implying non-return is common can increase it.