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