The Health Belief Model

Health Belief Model

One of the first theories of behavior. Developed in the 1950s by a group of U.S Public Health Service social psychologists. Is a good model for addressing problem behaviors that evoke health concerns. HBM proposes that a persons perception of four critical areas: 1. The severity of potential illness. 2. The persons susceptibility to that illness. 3. The benefits of taking a preventive action 4. The barriers to taking that action It is popularly used in issues focusing on patient compliance and preventive health care practices.

Health Belief Model

HBM was largely influenced by the works of social psychologist Kurt Lewin. It postulates that the readiness to take action for health stems from an individual perception of his/her susceptibility to disease and its potential severity.

The Major Concepts and Definitions of the Health Belief Model

Health related action is hypothesized to depend on the following:

(1) Perceived Susceptibility Refers to the persons perception that a health problem is personally relevant or that a health problem is personally relevant or that a diagnosis of illness is accurate.

The Major Concepts and Definitions of the Health Belief Model

(2) Perceived Severity

Action will not occur unless the individual perceives the severity to be high enough to have serious organic or social complications even when one recognizes personal susceptibility.

The Major Concepts and Definitions of the Health Belief Model

(3) Perceived Benefits

Refers to the patients belief that a given treatment will cure the illness or help to prevent it.

The Major Concepts and Definitions of the Health Belief Model

(4) Perceived Costs

Refers to the complexity, duration, ad accessibility of the treatment.

The Major Concepts and Definitions of the Health Belief Model

(5) Motivation Includes the desire to comply with a treatment and the belief that people should do what.

The Major Concepts and Definitions of the Health Belief Model

(6) Modifying Factors

Includes personality variables, patient satisfaction, and socio-demographic factors.

 The model postulates that health seeking behavior 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 as well as providing a way to understanding and predicting how clients will behave on relation to their health and how they will comply with health care therapies.

 For a behavioral change to succeed individuals must have: Incentive to change Must feel threatened by current behavior. Must feel a change to be beneficial with acceptable cost. Must feel competent to implement change.

References:
http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/health_belief_ model.html http://www.personal.psu.edu/eab5160/blogs/the_profes sional_eportfolio_of_evan_burke/The%20Health%20Belief%20M odel.pdf Health Promotion Strategies and Methods by Egger

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