Health Belief Model (HBM) This page was last updated on May 2, 2011 INTRODUCTION The Health Belief
lief Model (HBM) is one of the first theories of health behavior. It was developed in the 1950s by a group of U.S. Public Health Service social psychologists who wanted to explain why so few people were participating in programs to prevent and detect disease. HBM is a good model for addressing problem behaviors that evoke health concerns (e.g., high-risk sexual behavior and the possibility of contracting HIV) (Croyle RT, 2005) The health belief model proposes that a person's health-related behavior depends on the person's perception of four critical areas: 1. the severity of a potential illness, 2. the person's susceptibility to that illness, 3. the benefits of taking a preventive action, and 4. the barriers to taking that action. HBM is a popular model applied in nursing, especially in issues focusing on patient compliance and preventive health care practices. The model postulates that health-seeking behaviour is influenced by a persons perception of a threat posed by a health problem and the value associated with actions aimed at reducing the threat. HBM addresses the relationship between a persons beliefs and behaviors. It provides a way to understanding and predicting how clients will behave in relation to their health and how they will comply with health care therapies.
THE MAJOR CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS OF THE HEALTH PROMOTION MODEL There are six major concepts in HBM: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Perceived Susceptibility Perceived severity Perceived benefits Perceived costs Motivation Enabling or modifying factors
1. Perceived Susceptibility: refers to a persons perception that a health problem is personally
relevant or that a diagnosis of illness is accurate.
2. Perceived severity: even when one recognizes personal susceptibility, action will not occur 3. 4. 5. 6.
unless the individual perceives the severity to be high enough to have serious organic or social complications. Perceived benefits: refers to the patients belief that a given treatment will cure the illness or help to prevent it. Perceived Costs: refers to the complexity, duration, and accessibility and accessibility of the treatment. Motivation: includes the desire to comply with a treatment and the belief that people should do what. Modifying factors: include personality variables, patient satisfaction, and socio-demographic factors.
Criticisms of HBM Is health behaviour that rational? Its emphasis on the individual (HBM ignores social and economic factors) The absence of a role for emotional factors such as fear and denial. Alternative factors may predict health behaviour, such as outcome expectancy (whether the person feels they will be healthier as a result of their behaviour) and self-efficacy (the persons belief in their ability to carry out preventative behaviour) (Seydel et al. 1990; Schwarzer 1992.
The Health Belief Model is a health behavior change and psychological model developed by Irwin M. Rosenstock in 1966 for studying and promoting the uptake of health services.[1] The model was furthered by Becker and colleagues in the 1970s and 1980s. Subsequent amendments to the model were made as late as 1988, to accommodate evolving evidence generated within the health community about the role that knowledge and perceptions play in personal responsibility.[2] Originally, the model was designed to predict behavioral response to the treatment received by acutely or chronically ill patients, but in more recent years the model has been used to predict more general health behaviors.[3]
The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a psychological model that attempts to explain and predict health behaviors. This is done by focusing on the attitudes and beliefs of individuals. The HBM was first developed in the 1950s by social psychologists Hochbaum, Rosenstock and Kegels working in the U.S. Public Health Services. The model was developed in response to the failure of a free tuberculosis (TB) health screening program. Since then, the HBM has been adapted to explore a variety of long- and short-term health behaviors, including sexual risk behaviors and the transmission of HIV/AIDS.
