Health belief model
The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a psychological framework that explains how individual beliefs and values influence health behaviors. Developed in the 1950s by researchers at the US Public Health Service, the model was initially aimed at understanding the low participation rates in public health programs, such as tuberculosis screenings. The HBM posits that an individual's decision to engage in health-promoting behavior is affected by several components, including perceived threat (encompassing susceptibility to and severity of illness), perceived benefits of taking action, perceived barriers to action, cues to action (both internal and external), and self-efficacy—the belief in one's ability to successfully execute a behavior.
These components interact to shape an individual’s motivation to improve their health. For instance, a person who perceives a high risk of illness and believes in the benefits of preventive measures, while feeling confident in their ability to take action, is more likely to engage in healthier behaviors. The model has evolved over time and is now applied to a variety of health behaviors, including smoking cessation, management of chronic illnesses, and overall health promotion efforts. Understanding the HBM can provide insights into why certain health initiatives succeed or fail, highlighting the importance of addressing individual perceptions and cultural beliefs in public health strategies.
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Health belief model
The health belief model is a value-expectancy theory that uses information about an individual’s values (e.g., how important it is to avoid disease) and expectations (e.g., what results he or she expects from different health behaviors or healthcare interventions) to examine why some individuals take advantage of health programs or alter their behavior to improve their health and others do not. Originally developed by researchers working for the US Public Health Service, the health belief model remains a vital part of health behavior theory today, as public health and medicine have become increasingly focused on the importance of individual behaviors and cultural values and beliefs in health.
Overview
The health belief model was developed in the United States in the 1950s by Godfrey Hochbaum, Irwin Rosenstock, and colleagues at the US Public Health Service, who were trying to understand why more people did not take advantage of public health programs such as tuberculosis screenings. One major change to the health belief model was made in the 1970s, when the concept of self-efficacy, meaning the confidence a person feels in their ability to carry out a behavior, was added to the model. In the twenty-first century, the health belief model is used to study not only public health questions but also a wide variety of other health behaviors, including smoking, physical activity, sick-role behavior, and the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes.
The health belief model contains the following components: perceived threat, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, other modifying variables, and self-efficacy. The components work together to influence an individual’s choice to take action or not.
Perceived threat contains two concepts: susceptibility, or an individual’s belief that he or she is at risk of developing an illness, and perceived severity, or an individual’s belief about the severity of an illness and the consequences of leaving it untreated. In general, an individual who believes that he or she is at risk of a health condition with serious consequences will be more likely to take action, all else held constant. Perceived benefits are the positive results an individual believes will follow from an action, including the probability of reducing the risk of disease. In general, higher perceived benefits make an individual more likely to take action.
Perceived barriers are factors that might dissuade an individual from taking an action that is otherwise regarded as potentially beneficial. Examples of perceived barriers include cost, inconvenience, discomfort, and danger. Cues to action may be either internal (e.g., physical sensations, thoughts, or emotions) or external (e.g., reading a public health brochure or being given advice). Modifying variables are the social, psychological, and demographic factors that may influence an individual’s decision to take action. Self-efficacy, a concept developed by the social psychologist Albert Bandura, refers to a person’s belief that he or she can successfully perform a behavior. All things being equal, a person with a higher level of self-efficacy is more likely to attempt to perform a desired behavior, such as quitting smoking.
Bibliography
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