HBM

Overview of the Health Belief Model

• Developed by the United States Public Health Services in the 1950s.

• Addressed the gap between knowledge and action regarding health behaviors.

• Explores beliefs that affect a person's ability or desire to change their behavior.

Key Components of the Health Belief Model

Belief in Threat of Illness

• Investigates concerns about various health conditions:

  • Obesity

  • Diabetes

  • Lung cancer

• Questions posed:

  • How serious do I think obesity is?

  • Am I truly worried about developing life-threatening diseases?

Belief in Effectiveness of Behavior Change

• Evaluates perceptions of behavioral intervention efficacy:

  • Example: Is quitting smoking likely to reduce lung cancer risk?

  • Example: Will increasing physical activity effectively prevent obesity?

• Importance of valuing the risk and the effectiveness of actions taken.

Theoretical Constructs of the Model

• Original constructs included:

  • Perceived susceptibility to disease

  • Perceived severity of disease

  • Perceived benefits and barriers of adopting health behaviors

• Modified variables include:

  • Demographics (age, gender, race)

  • Health inequities

  • Cues to action that encourage behavior change

Self-Efficacy

• Refers to an individual's confidence in their ability to engage in health-promoting behaviors.

• Plays a critical role in motivating behavior change.

Examples of Perceived Susceptibility

• Individuals with a lean physique may have a low perceived susceptibility to obesity.

• Those from families with lean genetics may dismiss obesity risk, impacting motivation to exercise.

  • Example: "I won’t get obese, so why should I exercise?"

Role of Perceived Severity

• How individuals view the seriousness of developing conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease influences their health motivations.

• Beliefs about medical advancements can alter perceived severity:

  • "There are drugs for diabetes."

  • "There will be a cure for cancer."

Perceived Benefits and Barriers

• Evaluating benefits of behaviors against any perceived barriers:

  • Psychological factors and demographics can impact this process.

Cues to Action

• External stimuli that encourage changes in behavior:

  • Social influences (e.g., friends exercising)

  • Cultural trends can bypass initial resistance to change.

Implications for Health Promotion

• Understanding these components is crucial for effective health promotion strategies:

  • Determine if the target population values disease prevention.

  • Assess their belief in the effectiveness of behavior changes.

  • In some cases, integrating other behavior change models may be necessary (e.g., Transtheoretical Model).

Introduction to the Health Belief Model (HBM)

The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a behavioral health theory that stems from knowledge, opinion, and actions combined to understand health behaviors. It is an intrapersonal theory based on our individual beliefs and knowledge. Historically, HBM was developed in the 1950s because a free tuberculosis screening program failed to attract people. The researchers had a hard time understanding why it didn't work despite being free for the public, so they developed this theory to explain health decisions and behaviors. HBM is used to inform intervention health programs as well as preventative programs.

Components of the Health Belief Model

The health belief model indicates three elements in health decision-making, which are as follows:

• Perceived susceptibility: Also called a perceived severity, this is when an individual acknowledges the potential harm of a disease, such as recognizing the risk of STDs. It is about knowing that a disease is something negative that can harm them. It is up to an individual's decision to decide whether a disease is a personal risk to themselves.

• Perceived threat: This happens when the individual perceives that they can be vulnerable to a certain disease. Using the STD example, if an individual practices unsafe sex and recognizes this behavior as a risk factor for STDs, then the individual will have a perceived threat. Otherwise, they will not perceive themselves as someone at risk of acquiring STDs.

• Perceived Benefits vs. Perceived Barriers: This element focuses on weighing the cost of behavioral change against the benefits in health. For example, if the individual perceives more barriers than benefits, such as lack of transportation, health insurance, or financial means, then it is highly likely that they will not change their behavior.

Health Belief Model Examples

A practical application of HBM can be demonstrated from this example. The medical department in a correctional facility noticed an increase in MRSA infections from tattoos among inmates. By recognizing the issues at hand and by implementing the Health Belief Model, the department then launched an institution-wide education on MRSA and talked about prevention strategies. They also provided a Tattoo Prevention Initiative Program which involves clinical evaluation and counseling.

Effectiveness and Insights from HBM

The effectiveness lies in the amount of behavior change, such as inmates avoiding tattoos to prevent the spread of the MRSA infection. The model helps us understand why certain interventions or programs are not successful and allows us to form new strategies that can potentially be successful.

What is the Health Belief Model?

A behavioral health theory is a combination of knowledge, opinions, and actions taken by an individual in reference to their health. The health belief model (HBM) is one of the first behavioral health theories. HBM is a psychological theoretical behavior change framework used to interpret and express problem behaviors that elicit health concerns, such as people failing to adopt disease prevention strategies or screening for the early detection of illness or disease.

According to the health belief model theory, health programs can be designed and implemented to reduce barriers, Improve knowledge, and help people be motivated to make healthier lifestyle choices when the factors that infliseen loddate Pooltts holres are propely meditricel