Course

Leisure and Health Promotion

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Therapeutic Recreation
Course code
THRT 4704
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks. This course may be offered in a condensed format over a shorter period of time.
Max class size
30
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Tutorial
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course builds upon the foundational concepts of health, health promotion, health determinants, and population health. This requires an in-depth exploration of interdisciplinary meanings and measures of health and includes an examination of the relationship between risk factors, including stress and health behaviours, and the fundamental causes of ill health and disease. The interconnections between health promotion and therapeutic recreation practice are discussed and applied with examples of current models, strategies and interventions.
Course content
Meanings and measures of health, quality of life, and wellbeing 
  • Interdisciplinary approaches 
  • Tensions between biomedical and social perspectives  
Approaches to public health and health promotion 
  • Historical developments from health protection to health promotion 
  • Lalonde Report, Alma Ata Declaration, and the Ottawa Charter 
  • Principles of primary health care, health education, health promotion, population health, and health literacy  
Population health and the social determinants of health 
  • Definitions and research evidence for major determinants including socioeconomic status, social support, physical environment and climate change, race and culture, gender and gender identity 
  • Exploration of other relevant and timely issues, including aging, ability / disability, mental health and addictions, homelessness, and violence 
  • Links to recreation, leisure, and therapeutic recreation 
Today’s risk factors: stress and health behaviours  
  • Evidence for the connections between risk factors and morbidity and mortality  
  • Dimensions of stress –physiological, psychological, and cognitive 
  • Health behaviours and risk behaviours 
Health promotion and health policy 
  • Models and approaches to health promotion  
  • Down-, mid-, and upstream interventions  
  • Advocacy and policy development  
  • Therapeutic recreation as a health promotion profession
Learning activities

In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, class discussions, small group work and workshops, community experiences, research, and student presentations. 

Means of assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a graded course.Typical means of assessment would include a combination of: 

  • Tests 
  • Written assignments 
  • Group facilitation and leadership 
Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: 

  1. Analyze how health has been conceptualized and measured across different fields of research;
  2. Examine the major historical developments, debates, and tensions in the fields of health promotion and public health; 
  3. Understand how the determinants of health are commonly understood, measured, and portrayed in relation to current health problems and issues; 
  4. Analyze physical, psychosocial, and spiritual dimensions of stress as a health risk factor; 
  5. Evaluate current health issues in relation to the role and interaction of various determinants; 
  6. Articulate the links between the health determinants framework and models of health promotion and therapeutic recreation; 
  7. Design a health promotion project and an evaluation framework to address one or several social determinants of health. 
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students.  A list of required readings and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. 

Requisites

Prerequisites

THRT 2444 OR THRT 2455

Students in the Therapeutic Recreation Degree program are required to maintain a passing grade of 60% (C) in all courses in order to progress in the program.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for THRT 4704
Athabasca University (AU) AU HSRV 3XX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) No credit
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU HKIN 295 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO HMKN_O 2nd (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) No credit
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC EPHE 4XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
30
Currently enrolled
31
Remaining seats:
-1
On waitlist
0
Building
Online
Room
ONLINE
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
21:20
Section notes

THRT 4704 050 is restricted to TR students enrolled in the Degree program.

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
0
Currently enrolled
8
Remaining seats:
-8
On waitlist
0
Building
Online
Room
ONLINE
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
21:20
Section notes

This course is offered as a Guided Study course and departmental approval is required for registration.