Ch. 4: Health Belief Model
influences of health behavior
psychological readiness, situational influences, environmental conditions
main constructs of the health belief model
1. perceived susceptibility 2. perceived seriousness/severity 3. perceived benefits 4. perceived barriers
assumptions (general health beliefs)
-one is susceptible to health problems -health problems have undesirable consequences -health problems and their consequences are usually preventable -if health problems are to be overcome, barriers or costs have to be overcome
additional constructs of the health belief model
1. modifying variables 2. cues to action 3. self-efficacy
perceived benefits
a person's opinion of the value or usefulness of a new behavior in decreasing the risk of developing a disease; people tend to adopt healthier behaviors when they believe the new behavior will decrease their chances of developing a disease
perceived barriers
an individual's own evaluation of the obstacles in the way of him or her adopting a new behavior **most significant construct in determining health behavior change (perceived BENEFITS have to outweigh the BARRIERS)
self-efficacy
belief/confidence that you can do something similar/more challenging; the belief in one's own ability to do something -allows people to overcome barriers
perceived threat
combination of perceived susceptibility and perceived seriousness; -how much at risk do I feel I am and how bad is it going to be if I have it? -how much do I feel threatened by a disease?
perceived seriousness (/severity)
degree to which an individual feels the consequences of a disease are severe -influenced by: knowledge, past experiences, and personal beliefs
cues to action
external event that causes someone to make behavior change; an event that sparks thought that you need to make a change (ex: mass media)
modifying variables
individual/personal factors that influence personal perceptions (usually cannot change these): culture, past experiences, age, skills, knowledge, motivation
health belief model (HBM)
personal beliefs influence health behavior; health behavior is determined by personal beliefs or perceptions about a disease and the strategies available to decrease its occurrence
perceived susceptibility
the degree to which an individual feels at RISK for a disease/injury/etc. -greater perceived risk, greater likelihood of engaging in behaviors that decrease risk -less perceived risk, less likely to adopt healthy behaviors
perceived barriers
the most significant construct in determining health behavior change