Public Health Theories Final

Health Belief Model Definition

Behavior is influenced by personal beliefs about health threats and the benefits of action.

Health Belief Model Theorist and Date

Developed in the 1950s by US Public Health Service social psychologists to understand why people engage in preventive health actions.

Health Belief Model Components

1. Perceived susceptibility

2. Perceived severity

3. Perceived benefits

4. Perceived barriers

5. Cues to actions

5. Self-efficacy (added 1988)

Health Belief Model Challenges

- Does not account for social or environmental determinants of health

- assumes rational decision making

- Limited applicability to habitual behaviors, behaviors people do automatically or out of routine

Health Belief Model

Low flu vaccination rates among college students

Susceptibility: Think they won't get flu → show campus stats

Severity: Think it's mild → highlight missed class/serious cases

Benefits: Don't see need → emphasize protection for self/others

Barriers: Cost, time, fear → free, quick clinics + myth-busting

Cues to action: No reminders → emails, posters, app alerts

Self-efficacy: Unsure how → simple, clear steps (5 min visit)

Biomedical Model Definition

framework that explains health and disease as primarily the result of biological factors, such as pathogens, genetic conditions, or physiological abnormalities. Focuses on identifying a specific cause of disease and treating or curing it through medical intervention.

Biomedical Model Theorist and Date

Emerged during the late 19th century with the development of germ theory by scientists such as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch.

- Flexner Report in 1910 institutionalized the paradigm

Biomedical Model Components

Mind-body dualism

- The mind and body are treated as separate, meaning physical health is prioritized Reductionism

- Complex health problems are broken down into smaller biological components (cells, genes, organs) to understand and treat disease.

Specific etiology

- Every disease has a single, identifiable cause, and the goal is to find and eliminate it

Biomedical Model Challenges

- chronic disease mismatch: 70% of US deaths are from chronic diseases would not work in this model since there is no single germ, surgical fix, or simple cure

- does not account for social determinants of health (socioeconomic factors, poverty, racism, environment)

Biomedical Model Application

Acute infectious disease such as COVID-19 : Scientists identify the pathogen, develop treatments, create vaccines to prevent infection

- works well where disease has a clear biological cause can be targeted directly

- model mayb overlook broader factors like access to healthcare or living conditions

Social Ecological Model Definition

health is shaped by multiple layers of influence

Social Ecological Model Theorists and Date

Bronfenbrenner, 1977; adapted for public health by McLeroy et al., 1988

- emerged as a response to the need for multi-level approaches

Social Ecological Model Components

Individual, Interpersonal, Organizational, Community, Policy

Social Ecological Model Challenges

- high implementation costs

- complexity in coordinating multi-level intervention

- does not explain how one level influences another

Social Ecological Model Application

To reduce childhood obesity: (individual) nutrition education, family meal-planning workshops (interpersonal), cafeteria policy changes (organizational), farmer's markets in food deserts (community), and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes (policy).

Health Impact Pyramid Definition

Framework to understand the population-level impact of public health interventions. Interventions at the base (addressing socioeconomic determinants) have the greatest impact on the most people and require the least individual effort.

Health Impact Pyramid Theorist & Date

Frieden, 2010 former director of CDC

Health Impact Pyramid Components

Starting at top of pyramid with increased individual effort needed: counseling & education, clinical interventions, long-lasting protective interventions, changing to context to make individuals' default decisions healthy, socio-economic factors (increased population impact)

Health Impact Pyramid Challenges

- interventions at the base of the pyramid are the hardest to implement politically and require long-term investment

- Does not look at interaction between levels like SEM

Health Impact Pyramid Application

leading cause of home unintentional injury death is falls among older adults

- 1. community education, 2. fall screening modification review. 3. home modifications. 4. enhancing building codes (handrails on both sides). 5. reducing poverty can lead to safer houses with less structural risks

Arts and Health Definition

focuses on how engagement with the arts can promote health and well-being by addressing the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of health.

Arts and Health Theorist and Date

Has been around since the ancient times and has evolved (in the ancient times, using art to understand the body in a medical way, looking at exterior of the body sculpture to under stand better

Arts and Health Components

- two main parts: arts engagement & arts participation (mode, how people participate & form, type of art being used),

- three main pathways = mental health, social health, physical health.

- art benefits three important components of health = biopsychosocial model (biological, psychological, social)

- culture heavily influences our arts participation

Arts and Health Limitations

- Evidence base for health outcomes is growing but still less rigorous than for clinical interventions

- Not all art is accessible due to cost, physical ability, or cultural relevance ie. if you are doing zumba and you are disabled

- may not be as appropriate standalone for serious health crises

Arts and Health Application

The Arts and Health framework can be applied to trauma

- Mental health pathway: Activities like painting, music, or storytelling allow individuals to process trauma, reduce stress, and improve emotional expression

- Social health pathway: Community art programs (e.g., group murals, theater) build social connections and reduce isolation

- Physical health pathway: Movement-based arts (dance, performance) can support physical recovery and reduce stress-related physical symptoms