HEALTH BELIEF MODEL

KEY CONCEPTS

• An individual’s belief system influences their decision making and the ability to maintain specific health behavior changes.

• To make a health behavior change an individual may have one or several of these factors to influence whether they will or will not make a change:

  • PERCEIVED SUSCEPTIBILITY: They believe that they are likely and/or capable of getting a disease or condition.

  • PERCEIVED SEVERITY: They believe that the disease or condition is dangerous and can highly affect them.

  • PERCEIVED BENEFITS: They believe that taking action will provide them benefits to prevent or cure the disease or condition.

  • PERCEIVED BARRIERS: They believe that either there are no major barriers to the behavior change or that there are major barriers to change.

  • SELF-EFFICACY: They believe that they are able to do the behavior.

  • CUES TO ACTION: They are triggered by an outside influence that encourages them to take action.

• When a person believes he or she is susceptible to a health problem with sever consequences, the person will more likely conclude that the benefits outweigh the barriers.

KEY TERMS

• PERCEIVE [def]: To become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.

• SELF-EFFICACY [def]: is a person's belief in their ability to succeed in a particular situation.

REFERENCES:

Becker MH. The Health Belief Model and personal health behavior. Health Education Monographs. 1974;2:324–508.

Rosenstock IM, Strecher V, Becker J. Social learning theory and the health belief model. Health Education Quarterly. 1988;15:175–183. doi: 10.1177/109019818801500203