PS252 - Stage Models

What is the Health Belief Model (HBM)?

A psychological model (Rosenstock, 1966) explaining health behaviours by focusing on individuals’ beliefs about health threats and actions to reduce them.

What does the HBM aim to predict?

Whether a person will take preventive or health-promoting action based on perceived threats and benefits.

What are the key components of the HBM?

1. Perceived susceptibility

2. Perceived severity

3. Perceived health threat

4. Perceived benefits

5. Perceived barriers

6. Cues to action

7. Likelihood of action

8. Demographic and psychological variables

What is perceived susceptibility?

Belief about the likelihood of developing a health problem.

What is perceived severity?

Belief about how serious the health problem and its consequences are.

What is perceived health threat?

Combination of perceived susceptibility and severity.

What are perceived benefits?

Belief in the effectiveness or value of taking preventive action.

What are perceived barriers?

Belief about the costs or negative aspects of taking action.

What are cues to action?

Internal or external triggers that prompt behaviour change.

What are demographic variables in the HBM?

Individual differences (age, gender, education, culture) that influence beliefs and behaviours.

How could interventions increase perceived susceptibility and severity?

Use health campaigns showing realistic risks of smoking (e.g., personal stories, medical images).

How could interventions increase perceived benefits?

Emphasise short- and long-term gains such as better health, improved breathing, and financial savings.

How could interventions reduce perceived barriers?

Provide behavioural support, nicotine replacement therapy, stress management, and peer encouragement.

How could cues to action be used in smoking interventions?

Reminders, text messages, or GP advice to prompt quit attempts.

What are implementation intentions (Gollwitzer, 1999)?

Plans specifying when, where, and how to act, delegating control of behaviour to situational cues.

What did Abraham et al. (1992) find about the HBM?

Among teenagers, perceived barriers (e.g., social acceptability) were stronger predictors of condom use than perceived severity or benefits.

Which HBM factors are the strongest predictors of health behaviour (Carpenter, 2010)?

Perceived benefits and perceived barriers.

Name three criticisms of the HBM.

1. Overemphasises rational, conscious decision-making.

2. Underestimates social and environmental influences.

3. Ignores emotional factors (e.g., fear, denial).

According to the HBM, when is a person most likely to take action?

When they:

• Feel personally susceptible to a severe threat,

• Believe the benefits of change outweigh the barriers,

• Are prompted by effective cues to action.