Health belief model
[4][5] 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.
[6] 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.
[1] 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.
[5] 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.
[1] 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.
[16] Individual characteristics, including demographic, psychosocial, and structural variables, can affect perceptions (i.e., perceived seriousness, susceptibility, benefits, and barriers) of health-related behaviors.
[1][5] External cues include events or information from close others,[1] the media,[4] or health care providers[1] promoting engagement in health-related behaviors.
The intensity of cues needed to prompt action varies between individuals by perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, and barriers.
[17] The model was originally developed in order to explain engagement in one-time health-related behaviors such as being screened for cancer or receiving an immunization.
[5][17] For example, Schmiege et al. found that when dealing with calcium consumption and weight-bearing exercises, self-efficacy was a more powerful predictor than beliefs about future negative health outcomes.
[18] Rosenstock et al. argued that self-efficacy could be added to the other HBM constructs without elaboration of the model's theoretical structure.
[1] The review reports that empirical support for the HBM is particularly notable given the diverse populations, health conditions, and health-related behaviors examined and the various study designs and assessment strategies used to evaluate the model.
[4] The authors of the meta-analysis suggest that examination of potential moderated and mediated relationships between components of the model is warranted.
Becker et al. used the model to predict and explain a mother's adherence to a diet prescribed for their obese children.
It empirically tested the HBM's association with the compliance levels of persons chronically ill with diabetes mellitus.
[21] The HBM has been used to develop effective interventions to change health-related behaviors by targeting various aspects of the model's key constructs.
[5] Furthermore, interventions based on the HBM may provide cues to action to remind and encourage individuals to engage in health-promoting behaviors.
Cues such as a public service announcement on television or on a billboard may be fleeting and individuals may not be aware of their significance in prompting them to engage in a health-related behavior.
[2] Scholars extend the HBM by adding four more variables (self-identity, perceived importance, consideration of future consequences and concern for appearance) as possible determinants of healthy behavior.
