HEALTH BELIEVE MODEL (THEORIES OF

HEALTH BEHAVIOR)

Student's Name: ADIL KHAN

Class Roll No: 23

Session: 2021-22

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY & PREVENTIVE

DENTISTRY DENTAL COLLEGE,QUETTA
Table of Contents
1. Introduction……………………………………………………….1

2. Definition………………………………………………………….2

3. History…………………………………………………………….3

4. Theatrical Construct………………………………………………3

5. Perceived Severity………………………………………………...4

6. Perceived Benefits………………………………………………...5

7. Perceived Barriers………………………………………………...6

8. Modifying Variable………………………………………………7

9. Cues to Action……………………………………………………7-8

10. Applying the Health Belief Model to women’s safety…………...9

11. Limitations of Health Belief Model………………………………10

12. Conclusion………………………………………………………...11

13. References………………………………………………………....12-13
1. Introduction

The health belief model is a social psychological health behavior change

model developed to explain and predict health-related behaviors, particularly
in regard to the uptake of health services. The HBM was developed in the
1950s by social psychologists at the U.S. Public Health Service and remains
one of the best known and most widely used theories in health behavior
research. The HBM suggests that people's beliefs about health problems,
perceived benefits of action and barriers to action, and self-efficacy explain
engagement (or lack of engagement) in health- promoting behavior. A
stimulus, or cue to action, must also be present in order to trigger the health-
promoting behavior.

Figure 1. Flowchart representation of The Health Belief Model

1
 Definition

The Health Belief Model (HBM) was developed in the early 1950s by social
scientists at the U.S. Public Health Service in order to understand the failure
of people to adopt disease prevention strategies or screening tests for the
early detection of disease. Later uses of HBM were for patients' responses to
symptoms and compliance with medical treatments. The HBM suggests that
a person's belief in a personal threat of an illness or disease together with a
person's belief in the effectiveness of the recommended health behavior or
action will predict the likelihood the person will adopt the behavior

 The HBM derives from psychological and behavioral theory with the
foundation that the two components of health-related behavior are
 the desire to avoid illness, or conversely get well if already ill; and,
 the belief that a specific health action will prevent, or cure, illness.
Ultimately, an individual's course of action often depends on the
person's perceptions of the benefits and barriers related to health
behavior.

2
2. History

One of the first theories of health behavior the HBM was developed in 1950s
by social psychologists Irwin M. Rosenstock, Godfrey M. Hochbaum, S.
Stephen Kegeles, and Howard Leventhal at the U.S. Public Health Service at
that time, researchers and health practitioners were worried because few
people were getting screened for tuberculosis (TB) even if mobile X-ray cars
went to neighborhoods.

The HBM has been applied to predict a wide variety of health-related

behaviors such as being screened for the early detection of asymptomatic
diseases and receiving immunizations More recently, the model has been
applied to understand intentions to vaccinate (e.g. COVID-19) responses
to symptoms of disease compliance with medical regimens lifestyle
behaviors (e.g., sexual risk behaviors) and behaviors related to chronic
illnesses which may require long-term behavior maintenance in addition to
initial behavior change.

Amendments to the model were made as late as 1988 to incorporate

emerging evidence within the field of psychology about the role of self-
efficacy in decision- making and behavior.

3. Theoretical constructs
The HBM theoretical constructs originate from theories in Cognitive
Psychology.

In early twentieth century, cognitive theorists believed that reinforcements

operated by affecting expectations rather than by affecting behavior
straightly.

Mental processes are severe consists of cognitive theories that are

seen as expectancy-value models, because they propose that behavior is a
function of

3
the degree to which people value a result and their evaluation of the
expectation, that a certain action will lead to that result.

In terms of the health-related behaviors, the value is avoiding sickness. The

expectation is that a certain health action could prevent the condition for
which people consider they might be at risk.

The following constructs of the HBM are proposed to vary between

individuals and predict engagement in health-related behaviors.

4. Perceived susceptibility

Perceived susceptibility refers to subjective assessment of risk of developing

a health problem.

The HBM predicts that individuals who perceive that they are susceptible to
a particular health problem will engage in behaviors to reduce their risk of
developing the health problem.

Individuals with low perceived susceptibility may deny that they are at risk
for contracting a particular illness.

Others may acknowledge the possibility that they could develop the illness,
but believe it is unlikely. Individuals who believe they are at low risk of
developing an illness are more likely to engage in unhealthy, or risky,
behaviors.

Individuals who perceive a high risk that they will be personally affected by
a particular health problem are more likely to engage in behaviors to
decrease their risk of developing the condition threat.

Perceived severity and perceived susceptibility to a given health condition

depend on knowledge about the condition. The HBM predicts that higher
perceived threat leads to a higher likelihood of engagement in health-
promoting behaviors.

4
5. Perceived severity

Perceived severity refers to the subjective assessment of the severity of a

health problem and its potential consequences.
The HBM proposes that individuals who perceive a given health problem as
serious are more likely to engage in behaviors to prevent the health problem
from occurring (or reduce its severity).

Perceived seriousness encompasses beliefs about the disease itself (e.g.,

whether it is life-threatening or may cause disability or pain) as well as
broader impacts of the disease on functioning in work and social roles.

An individual may perceive that influenza is not medically serious, but if he

or she perceives that there would be serious financial consequences as a result
of being absent from work for several days, then he or she may perceive
influenza to be particularly serious condition.

5
6. Perceived benefits

Health-related behaviors are also influenced by the perceived benefits of

taking action.

Perceived benefits refer to an individual's assessment of the value or

efficacy of engaging in a health-promoting behavior to decrease risk of
disease.

If an individual believes that a particular action will reduce susceptibility

to a health problem or decrease its seriousness, then he or she is likely to
engage in that behavior regardless of objective facts regarding the
effectiveness of the action.

For example, individuals who believe that wearing sunscreen prevents

skin cancer are more likely to wear sunscreen than individuals who
believe that wearing sunscreen will not prevent the occurrence of skin
cancer.

7. Perceived barriers

Health-related behaviors are also a function of perceived barriers to taking

action.Perceived barriers refer to an individual's assessment of the obstacles
to behavior change.

Even if an individual perceives a health condition as threatening and

believes that a particular action will effectively reduce the threat,
barriers may prevent engagement in the health-promoting behavior.

6
 Perceived barriers to taking action include the perceived inconvenience,
expense, danger (e.g., side effects of a medical procedure) and
discomfort (e.g., pain, emotional upset) involved in engaging in the
behavior.

The lack of access to affordable health care and the perception that a flu
vaccine shot will cause significant pain may act as barriers to receiving
the flu vaccine.

In a study about the breast and cervical cancer screening among

Hispanic women, perceived barriers, like fear of cancer, embarrassment,
fatalistic views of cancer and language, was proved to impede screening.

8. Modifying variables

Individual characteristics, including demographic, psychosocial and

structural variables, can affect perceptions (i.e., perceived seriousness,
susceptibility, benefits, and barriers) of health-related behaviors.

Demographic variables include age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education,

among others.

Psychosocial variables include personality, social class, and peer and

reference group pressure, among others.

Structural variables include knowledge about a given disease and prior

contact with the disease, among other factors.

The HBM suggests that modifying variables affect health-related

behaviors indirectly by affecting perceived seriousness, susceptibility,
benefits, and barriers.

9. Cues to action

The HBM posits that a cue, or trigger, is necessary for prompting

engagement in health-promoting behaviors.

Cues to action can be internal or external. Physiological cues (e.g.,

7
pain, symptoms) are an example of internal cues to action.

External cues include events or information from close others, [2] the
media, [4] or health care providers [2] promoting engagement in health-
related behaviors.
Examples of cues to action include a reminder postcard from a dentist,
the illness of a friend or family member, mass media campaigns on
health issues, and product health warning labels.

The intensity of cues needed to prompt action varies between individuals

by perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, and barriers. [3]

For example, individuals who believe they are at high risk for a serious
illness and who have an established relationship with a primary care
doctor may be easily persuaded to get screened for the illness after
seeing a public service announcement, whereas individuals who believe
they are at low risk for the same illness and also do not have reliable
access to health care may require more intense external cues in order to
get screened.

8
10. Applying the health belief model to women's safety
movement

Movements such as the #MeToo movements and current political

tensions surrounding abortion laws have moved women's rights and
violence against women to the forefront of topical conversation.

Additionally, many organizations, such as Women On Guard have

begun to place emphasize on trying to educate women on what measures
to take in order to increase their safety when walking alone at night.

The murder of Sarah Everardon March 3, 2021, has placed further

attention on the need for women to protect themselves and stay vigilant
when walking alone at night.

The health belief model can provide insight into the steps that need to
be taken in order to reach more women and convince them to take the
necessary steps to increase safety when walking alone.

9
Limitations of Health Belief Model

There are several limitations of the HBM which limit its utility in public
health. Limitations of the model include the following:
It does not account for a person's attitudes, beliefs, or other individual
determinants that dictate a person's acceptance of a health behavior.
It does not take into account behaviors that are habitual and thus may
inform the decision-making process to accept a recommended action
(e.g., smoking).
It does not take into account behaviors that are performed for non-
health related reasons such as social acceptability.
It does not account for environmental or economic factors that may
prohibit or promote the recommended action.
It assumes that everyone has access to equal amounts of information on
the illness or disease.
It assumes that cues to action are widely prevalent in encouraging
people to act and that "health" actions are the main goal in the decision-
making process.
It does not account for a person's attitudes, beliefs, or other individual
determinants that dictate a person's acceptance of a health behavior.

10
11. CONCLUSIONS
The Health Belief Model adequately predicted public perception
regarding their belief about the threat of the disease and susceptibility
towards the disease.
The Health Belief Model predicts that a specific health behavior is more
or less likely based on an individual's perceptions of disease severity and
personal susceptibility to the disease combined with perceived benefits
and barriers to that behavior
Addresses cognitive theory, which emphasizes the role of motivations
and beliefs of the individual with mental illness.
Persons with mental illness may have pessimistic views about the course
of medical treatment and therefore have little motivation to seek
treatment.)
Disseminates a person's beliefs into four categories: perceived
susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived
barriers.
This in-depth approach examines a person's beliefs regarding health care
in a more holistic way than the other models.
.

Figure 2 . Diagrammatic Representation of Health Belief Model along with its

Modifying factors

11
12. References

1. Siddiqui, Taranum Ruba; Ghazal, Saima; Bibi, Safia; Ahmed,

Waquaruddin; Sajjad, Shaimuna Fareeha (2016-11-10). "Use of the
Health Belief Model for the Assessment of Public Knowledge and
Household Preventive Practices in Karachi, Pakistan, a Dengue-
Endemic City". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 10 (11)
2. Janz, Nancy K.; Marshall H. Becker (1984). "The Health Belief
Model: A Decade Later". Health Education & Behavior. 11 (1): 1–47.
3. Rosenstock, Irwin (1974). "Historical Origins of the Health
Belief Model". Health Education & Behavior. 2 (4): 328–335.
4. Carpenter, Christopher J. (2010). "A meta-analysis of the
effectiveness of health belief model variables in predicting
behavior". Health Communication. 25 (8): 661–669.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b c Glanz, Karen; Bishop, Donald B. (2010). "The role
of behavioral science theory in development and implementation of
public health interventions". Annual Review of Public Health. 31:
399–41.
6. Glanz, Karen; Barbara K. Rimer; K. Viswanath (2008). Health
behavior and health education: theory, research, and practice. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass. pp. 45–51.
7. Glanz, Karen (July 2015). Health behavior: theory, research, and
practice. Rimer, Barbara K., Viswanath, K. (Kasisomayajula) (Fifth
ed.). San Francisco, CA.
8. ^ Zampetakis, Leonidas A.; Melas, Christos (2021). "The health
belief model predicts vaccination intentions against COVID-19: A
survey experiment approach". Applied Psychology: Health and Well-
Being. 13 (2): 469–484.
9. ^ Lewin, K. (1951). The nature of field theory. In M. H.
Marx (Ed.), Psychological theory: Contemporary readings. New
York: Macmillan.
10. ^ Köhler, Wolfgang (1999). The mentality of apes. Routledge.

12
11. ^ Trent, Mallory J.; Salmon, Daniel A.; MacIntyre, C. Raina (2021).
"Using the health belief model to identify barriers to seasonal
influenza vaccination among Australian adults in 2019". Influenza
and Other Respiratory Viruses. 15 (5): 678–687.
12. Austin, Latoya T et al. "Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening in
Hispanic Women: a Literature Review Using the Health Belief^ Lewin,
K., Dembo, T., Festinger, L., & Sears, P. S. (1944). Level of aspiration.
In J. Hunt (Ed.), Personality and the behavior disorders (pp. 333– 378).
Somerset, NJ: Ronald Press.
13. Rosenstock, Irwin M.; Strecher, Victor J.; Becker, Marshall H.
(1988). "Social learning theory and the health belief model".
Health Education & Behavior. 15 (2): 175–183
14. Model." Women's Health Issues 12.3 (2002): 122–128. Web.
15. Schmiege, S.J., Aiken, L.S., Sander, J.L. and Gerend, M.A. (2007)
Osteoporosis prevention among young women: psychological models
of calcium consumption and weight bearing exercise, Health
Psychology, 26, 577– 87.
16. Abraham, Charles, and Sheeran, Paschal. "The Health
Belief Model." Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and
Medicine. Cambridge University Press, 2001. 97–102. Web.
17. Becker, Marshall et al. "The Health Belief Model and Prediction of
Dietary Compliance: A Field Experiment." Journal of Health and
Social Behavior 18.4 (1977): 348–366. Web.

13